Marking A Mate
by an-alternate-world
Summary: GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,028  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>WarningsSpoilers: **The original GKM prompt lurks at the bottom of the chapter if you want to read that before reading.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt had always known that he was part-cat. Occasionally, his ears would fur over and his nails would lengthen, but he'd force down his attraction to the boy in question and his ears would shrink and his nails would withdraw. It had been harder to explain to his father how he was quite certain he was gay, because he'd never had any such reaction to seeing a girl, even those as stunning beautiful as Quinn or even Santana, when she wasn't being such a bitch.<p>

His father had, with a gentle sigh, accepted him. Being gay wasn't so uncommon in their world because attraction could occur so suddenly and unexpectedly. At least he hadn't had any of the awkward business where Tina had revealed her bunny ears to Artie, and rather than being rejected by him, she'd been grabbed around the waist by Mike who stank up the choir room so badly that they had to rehearse in the auditorium for two days.

What scared Kurt the most about the world he lived was being harassed by Karofsky. He was completely uninterested in the smelly, bulky jock, even though Karofsky tried to hide how the backs of his hands got furrier after every time he shoved Kurt into a locker. But Kurt caught it, Kurt saw, and it made his stomach turn with fear and anxiety.

The last straw had been going to 'spy' on the Warblers, their competition for Sectionals. He had dressed as convincingly as he could and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes to avoid making direct eye contact with anyone. He was terrified of being recognised as an outsider, terrified of being forcibly ejected from the school. He was surrounded by boys bigger and more mature than him, and the more Kurt saw of their uniform, the more he realised how badly he stuck out.

He stumbled down the steps, catching himself on the banister and feeling an arm against his elbow.

"Hey there, you alright?"

Kurt lifted his eyes and felt his face heat. Oh _God_. Why couldn't boys at McKinley be this attractive? Oh yeah, because he'd get no work done whatsoever, because he'd be far too busy focusing on the boy in front of him, or behind him, until his teacher probably smacked him over the head to turn back around. Which would work. For a minute or two. Until he was craning his neck again to stare.

"Hello?"

"S-sorry. I lost my footing," he mumbled, dropping his eyes and shoving his hands into his pockets. He was _not_ going to show the gorgeous boy standing in front of him that he'd just developed claws, even though he could feel his ears were fuzzy against his skin.

"Blaine," the boy said, holding out his hand. "Blaine Anderson."

Kurt gazed at it nervously. He breathed deeply and tried to force down the arousal that bubbled in his veins.

"Kurt," he whispered, hand whipping out of his pocket to grip Blaine's.

It was warm, tan, gentle and yet firm. He visibly watched as the back of his hand sprouted a light covering of fur and could feel his tail sliding along his back. He tucked it around his waist and shivered when Blaine tugged him down a step.

"I…There's a performance. By the um, by the Warblers. It's…it shuts the school down," Blaine stammered, thumb brushing over the fur on the back of Kurt's hand and swallowing hard. "I'll…I'll show you where to go, okay?"

Kurt gave a wobbly nod, trying to ignore the horrible smell in the air that he knew, he _knew_, was because of him. Blaine kept his face carefully neutral, pulling Kurt along beside him as they walked down a corridor that was surprisingly quiet given the hubbub that had previously infiltrated all corners of the school. Kurt knew he'd had reactions around boys before, and it was notoriously bad with Finn last year, but he was so used to being rejected. It was partially an unconscious reaction to seeing someone he thought was attractive. He couldn't really control it. He could just try to hide it.

It wasn't until he forced himself to take a breath to steady his nerves that he suddenly realised the smell in the air. He froze, yanking his shoulder when Blaine stopped to look back at him.

"Kurt?"

"You-" His eyes fell to where their hands were still joined, dark curly hair falling over his knuckles in soft waves. He then looked at Blaine's ears which were furred over and slightly floppy against his gelled hair. "I-"

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered, eyes falling to the ground and letting go of Kurt's hand. "I didn't mean to."

"N-no, it's-"

Blaine whined in the back of his throat, closing the distance between him and Kurt and tangling his fingers with each of Kurt's hands. "I know we've just met but-" He nosed at Kurt's neck, breathing deeply and licking softly at his throat. "You smell so _good_ and I-"

"_Blaine_," Kurt whimpered, legs trembling as he shook free of Blaine's hands to grip at Blaine's blazer. "This doesn't usually happen to me. I don't-"

"Shh," Blaine soothed, pushing and pulling Kurt into the nearest doorway, a thankfully abandoned room, and pressing Kurt against the door. He flicked the lock over and grazed his palm against Kurt's hip. "Kurt…"

Kurt arched his neck into Blaine's mouth, which laved delightfully at the veins which pounded with his pulse. "Blaine, I-" His throat rumbled with a purr when Blaine's fingers slipped beneath his coat and over the skin of his hip.

Blaine whined again, nose darkening subtly as he sniffed behind Kurt's ear. "Kurt, I _want_ you," he confessed, tongue licking at the tip of Kurt's ear as Kurt's purrs grew louder.

"You want-" Kurt bit his bottom lip as the blunt ends of Blaine's nails scratched at his stomach. "You want _me_?"

"Please," Blaine breathed, index finger swiping over one of Kurt's nipples. "Please, can I claim you? I want you. I want to _mark_ you."

Kurt shuddered and sagged against Blaine's body, rubbing his cheek against Blaine's neck. "I never thought this would happen."

"Is that a yes?" Blaine murmured, hand sliding over Kurt's chest to touch Kurt's tail, which wound around his wrist.

"_Please_," Kurt agreed.

Blaine growled lowly, sending a thrill down Kurt's spine as Blaine struggled with the buttons on Kurt's clothing with his furred hands. Kurt had less luck with the claws he'd developed, until he hissed violently and ripped the remaining buttons off and threw off his blazer and shirt.

"So much better," Blaine muttered, dragging Kurt over to the desk and bending him over it. His nose and tongue trailed over Kurt's chest, licking and nipping as Kurt mewled and writhed underneath him. Kurt's tail twisted around Blaine's body, holding them together.

"Blaine, Blaine, I need-"

"I know, I know," Blaine hushed him with a kiss as he wriggled out of his tie, blazer and shirt and tore at his belt. He kissed down the centre of Kurt's chest until he reached the fly of Kurt's jeans and pulled them down until the pooled around Kurt's ankles and he kicked them off. Blaine's hands stroked over the fur on Kurt's feet as Kurt flexed the claws of his feet.

"Blaine-"

"Shh." Blaine kissed Kurt's knee and hooked his finger into Kurt's briefs to tug them down. "You're totally sure? I know this is sort of unexpected."

Kurt's tail coiled around Blaine's as he sat up on the table to kiss Blaine hard, tongue licking into Blaine's mouth as he scratched his nails into the gelled hair on Blaine's head. Blaine panted into his mouth as his hands gripped Kurt's hips and he growled with delight as Kurt scratched behind his ear.

"Please," Kurt begged, hooking his ankle over Blaine's waist and pressing his heel into Blaine's tail.

Blaine grunted as he shoved his own pants and boxers off along with Kurt's briefs, teeth scraping at Kurt's neck as he slid his erection against Kurt's. Kurt purred and jutted his hips into Blaine's, arms looping around Blaine's neck as he hooked his other leg over Blaine's hip.

"K-Kurt," Blaine choked out, swiping his fingers over Kurt's ass and finding it dripping with arousal. He pressed two fingers in as Kurt bucked against him, adjusting quickly. "Y-you…?"

"It…it lubricates itself…" Kurt whimpered. "Stretches faster."

Blaine groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut, withdrawing his fingers and roughly positioned himself. He thrust in smoothly, moaning into Kurt's collarbone.

Kurt's back arched, hissing with pleasure as he stretched rapidly to accommodate Blaine. "Fuck, _fuck_."

Kurt wet his lips as Blaine rolled his hips gently, more and more fur speckling their chests as their animalistic genes and urges burned through their bodies. Blaine's golden eyes darkened as he ran his hands over the gingery-brown fur, tongue lolling as he fought to remain in control and not fuck into Kurt too ruthlessly. Kurt mewled as his claws scratched pink lines into Blaine's furry chest, groaning when Blaine wrapped his arms under Kurt's arms to pull his body up until their chests were flush, his cock deep in Kurt's ass.

"_Blaine_," he purred, nuzzling into Blaine's neck as Blaine wobbled to the wall and shoved Kurt against it with a growl. "Blaine…"

"Beautiful…" Blaine whispered, stroking Kurt's hair back and keeping a firm hold on his hip as he pounded Kurt into the wall. "So gorgeous…so…so…fuck…"

Kurt clung to Blaine's neck as pleasured cries spilled from his lips, the smell of arousal heavy in the room as Kurt felt the world caving in on him until he could barely breathe. His claws dug into the back of Blaine's shoulders as he shrieked with need and desire and pleasure, until everything snapped apart and he came with a screech that was part-human, part-cat. The tightening of his body around Blaine and the sudden smell of sex that reeked of Kurt sent Blaine over the edge, cock pulsing at he howled into Kurt's neck.

His legs shook as he lowered Kurt from the wall to the ground, kissing over Kurt's neck as he shivered with happiness and lust and was thankful that Kurt didn't panic or fight when he didn't move much. He licked messily behind Kurt's ear over the new marking, a curly 'B' that glowed faintly the same colour as his eyes.

Kurt retracted his claws, his pink cat tongue shrinking back into his mouth and the dusting of fur over his cheeks slowly fading to reveal flushed and sweaty human skin. Blaine couldn't stop touching and kissing and licking, revelling in the taste and smell that took all his control away. Kurt preened under the attention, alternatively purring and humming as Blaine marked him as thoroughly as he could with his scent.

"You're glorious," he murmured into the skin of Kurt's neck, sucking a hickey over the pulse fluttering in his neck. Kurt stretched his arms above his head with a happy smile on his face and Blaine whined at the beautiful body beneath him.

"You can't just…" He wiggled his hips and scowled at Kurt, who grinned. "I want to fuck you again already and I'm still knotted inside you."

Kurt trailed his fingers over Blaine's arm, watching in fascination as the dark hair of his now-mate retreated beneath his skin until it gradually returned to smooth, tan skin. "Yours," he sighed blissfully, fingers curling over the definition of Blaine's jaw.

Blaine smiled, slightly shy, as he turned his head to kiss Kurt's palm. "Mine."

It was like his body never wanted to relax, but after twenty-five minutes, he realised he'd calmed enough to free himself from Kurt's body. Kurt whimpered when Blaine leaned back, chasing after him and tucking his body into Blaine's chest, tail still there and flicking anxiously.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, running his fingers through Kurt's hair.

"Don't leave me," Kurt mumbled, clutching at Blaine's hand and cuddling tightly against his body.

"Mated, yeah?" Blaine frowned. Kurt nodded slightly and Blaine nosed at the hair on the top of his head. "Never leaving. Can't leave you now. Love you. Love you for always. Mine._Mine_."

"Love?" Kurt questioned softly, tilting his head up to meet Blaine's golden eyes.

Blaine pressed their lips together until Kurt started to pant with arousal and kept reaching for Blaine to pull him closer and tighter. Blaine eased Kurt's arms away from his neck and kissed Kurt lightly as he cradled Kurt against his body. "_Love_," Blaine repeated, kissing Kurt's nose and up to his forehead. "Love you. _Love_ you."

Kurt started purring again, pressing his face into the warmth of Blaine's chest and listening to his heart thudding against his ribcage. "Love you," he breathed between purrs as Blaine rubbed down his spine with featherlight touches.

When his ears returned to human skin and his tail disappeared back into the base of his spine, Blaine handed Kurt back his clothing and kissed at the skin that slowly disappeared back under layers of fabric. Kurt giggled and batted Blaine away until Blaine started to pull his own clothes back on and button what he could with the remaining buttons. It wasn't until he started redoing his tie that he realised that he'd totally missed the Warbler performance.

"_Shit_," he muttered, tugging his slacks on faster and hauling Kurt to his feet.

"What? What's wrong?" Kurt asked, linking his fingers with Blaine's as Blaine grabbed up their bags and unlocked the door to the room.

"I had a performance," Blaine explained with a bemused grin as they rounded a corner and entered a room filled with leather chairs and boys, so many boys, all dressed in the Dalton attire.

"Blaine! Where the _hell _have you-" Wes paused mid-tirade to stare at Kurt. His eyes narrowed as he stalked across the room and sniffed deliberately. "And just _who_ is this?"

Kurt's fingers shook as he hid behind Blaine, suddenly feeling horribly scared at all the pairs of eyes trained on them.

"_This_ is Kurt," Blaine snapped at Wes, squeezing Kurt's hand comfortingly. "And Kurt is my mate."

The eyes that were previously narrowed in their direction all widened. Kurt saw a blonde boy fall off his precarious position on the couch and land with a thud and a muffled 'ow'. Wes' index finger pressed into Blaine's chest and Kurt automatically hissed as he stepped forward.

"Shh, Kurt, it's okay," Blaine soothed, squeezing his hand again.

"He's-"

"I'm not going to hurt him," Wes assured Kurt as his nail scraped behind Blaine's ear to find the tiniest 'K' shining a light blue-green, partly hidden by the curls that had become freed from the gel when Kurt and Blaine had had sex. "Well well, I guess you _have_ mated," Wes mused, holding his hand out to Kurt. "I'm sorry for my attitude. When my star Warbler didn't show up to perform, I got a little concerned."

Kurt eyed the hand fearfully.

"Kurt, it's okay. Wes is one of my best friends," Blaine encouraged, wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist and easing him closer. "He's not going to hurt you, and if he _did_," his eyes darkened slightly as he stared back at Wes, "I'd tear him apart for hurting my mate."

Wes shivered at the intensity in Blaine's gaze but kept his smile pleasant as Kurt swallowed his nerves and touched hands with Wes. The collective amount of boys in the room exhaled as Wes' smile grew.

"You've chosen well," he admitted to Blaine. Kurt blushed and returned his hand to Blaine's firm grip. "Boys, Blaine and his mate, Kurt."

The boys broke out into cheering and congratulations, several rushing over to clap Blaine on the back and falling over each other to introduce themselves to Kurt. His mind swam with all the new names and faces but Blaine remained steadfastly by his side, hands clasped together with the occasional shy smile after being caught sniffing at clothing that reeked of the other.

"Love you," Blaine murmured into Kurt's ear as he held Kurt against him as the Warblers threw an impromptu party.

"Love you too," Kurt smiled, tucking under Blaine's arm and purring when Blaine scratched behind his ears.

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><p><em>Original Prompt: AU in which hybrids (which are fairly common) have a combination of human and animal genes, the animal characteristics only coming out during sexual arousal. All hybrids have extremely sensitive senses of smell, and once they find their mate through smelling their pheromones, they mate for life.<em>

_When Kurt Hummel went to Dalton to go spy on the Warblers, he didn't expect to run into Blaine Anderson, who is honestly the most attractive person he has ever seen, much less met. To his embarrassment, his body seems to agree, releasing pheromones into the air to show how fertile and virginal he is…immediately after Blaine takes his hand. Blaine, trying to be polite and not give in to his carnal urges, slowly taking Kurt down the "shortcut", holding his breath and avoiding Kurt in the hopes that he can avoid embarrassment for the both of them._

_Unfortunately, he cannot help but glance at Kurt and notices that his catlike features are slowly becoming apparent. Despite all his attempts, he becomes extremely arouses and releases his own scent, showing his strength and virility. Kurt, shocked that someone is actually attracted to him, stops walking, causing Blaine to crash into him. The closeness is just too much for Blaine, and he starts to drag his nose all along Kurt's neck, smelling his skin as his canine features start to become visible. Cue sex with kinks listed below, in which the two of them claim each other as their mate._

_Kinks: knotting (Blaine), self-lubricating asshole (Kurt), possible mpreg (Kurt), suggestive smelling (Blaine/Kurt smelling every part of each other), rubbing their scent over each other to claim their mate, etc._

_Bonus: if Kurt and Blaine get up and go to the common room (where Wes and David are waiting, impatient and angry), smelling off each other and grinning like maniacs, and Blaine still performs for Kurt despite everybody knowing what just happened._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So I've filled the original prompt, but a certain friend has asked me to write more - Burt's reaction, their separation of schools, how Karofsky deals with it, the rules of the hybrid world, etc. etc. I guess a lot of that lies with the original prompter on the Kink Meme but I'd also like to throw the idea to you, my wonderful readers, as to whether or not you'd want to read more in this universe. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,046  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>When the impromptu marking party settled down and boys began to drift off in directions of dorms to do homework, Kurt realised he probably needed to get home.<p>

Home.

To his father.

_Shit_.

"Kurt?" Blaine murmured, nosing at Kurt's neck and licking the 'B' that glinted behind his ear.

"I…I need to get home and…and that'll mean telling my dad…"

"You don't _have_ to tell him."

Kurt frowned. "Blaine, I probably have your smell all over me. There's no way he'll miss that. Or the mark behind my ear. He has to know."

Blaine sighed, kissing along the column of Kurt's neck. "I'll come with you. He needs to meet me and all that sort of thing."

"And not rip you to pieces."

"That would be nice, yes."

Kurt could feel the anxiety surging through him, a feeling Blaine quickly realised, pulling Kurt into his arms and cradling Kurt's head against his shoulder. "It wasn't a mistake, was it? You don't regret it?"

"It's a little too late for that. It's kind of for life unless you die," Kurt murmured, fingers curling into the fabric of Blaine's shirt.

"I'm aware of the rules, but…I guess I still worry that you'll have changed your mind."

Kurt moved to lean up and kiss Blaine firmly and Blaine whimpered quietly, tugging Kurt into his lap where his fingers pressed into Kurt's hips.

"I don't regret it," Kurt assured him, straddling Blaine's thighs and suddenly very glad that the last of the boys had filtered out of the room a while ago. "But it doesn't stop me from being a little concerned over what my dad might do."

"Is he really that bad?" Blaine asked as Kurt climbed off his lap, straightening his clothes as he waited for Blaine to rise from the chair.

"He's a bear, Blaine."

"Oh." Blaine licked his lips and swallowed. "Well, uh…"

"He won't hurt you. He can't hurt you," Kurt said, sliding his fingers between Blaine's. "C'mon."

Any anxiety Kurt had had about driving the two hours back to Lima and showing off his new mate to his father seemed to transfer to Blaine the closer they got to Kurt's house. It was only half-past four when they got home and Kurt ushered him into the house, pointing out pictures of his father and mother on the walls. Blaine smiled sadly as he traced over the pictures of Kurt's mother, Julia. The two hours had given them plenty of time to learn about each other and share memories and stories and experiences. Kurt had learned Blaine had an older brother, Jason, and his parents weren't the most accepting of his homosexuality but they had also realised there was nothing they could do. Kurt had talked about Carole and Finn and how he suspected an engagement was on the horizon.

He showed Blaine into the basement of his bedroom, the weight switching from foot to foot as Blaine wandered around the room, touching the fabrics of Kurt's clothes and examining the bottles of moisturiser and serums on his dressing table.

"You're amazing," Blaine acknowledged, looking at the photos of various New Directions members that Kurt had tacked onto a pin board.

"Amazing?" Kurt scoffed, finally relaxing enough to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm not amazing. I'm just me. And I'm loathed at McKinley so that's not what people do when they're amazing."

"It is if they're so amazing that everyone else is jealous," Blaine mused, shuffling around Kurt's bed and standing in front of him.

"You can sit, you know. I don't bite."

"What if I like that sort of thing?"

Kurt froze, his mouth half-open but the words disappearing on his tongue.

"It's really inappropriate to ask if the cat got your tongue, isn't it?" Blaine teased.

With a soft growl, Kurt pushed Blaine onto the bed and climbed on top of him, fingernails lengthening into pointy claws. "Don't make fun of me."

"Shh, baby. I'm not being cruel about it," Blaine soothed, reaching for Kurt's hands and stroking the ginger fur until Kurt calmed and the nails retracted to Kurt's immaculately manicured nails.

But now that he'd calmed down, Kurt realised where he was, the position they were in, and his face flushed when he noticed Blaine gazing at him, eyes dark and ears floppy against his curls.

"You like it, don't you? Me on top?" Kurt murmured, bending down to nibble at Blaine's neck.

"I didn't think I would, but _oh_," Blaine groaned, his hand moving to grip Kurt's thigh and squeezing lightly. He tilted his head away, allowing Kurt to lick at the marking behind his ear more effectively; his breathing shaky as he enjoyed the sensation the more and more Kurt kept licking it.

Kurt wriggled his hips, feeling Blaine's half-hard erection curving against his ass. Blaine choked and squeezed Kurt's thigh harder. "_K-Kurt_."

"Sorry," Kurt mumbled, crawling away and wandering towards the bathroom. "I guess I should shower before my dad gets home."

Blaine whined, his arousal obvious as he chased after Kurt. "You can't do that," he breathed against Kurt's neck.

"Can't I?" Kurt said with a shudder as Blaine's hands slid under the back of Kurt's shirt to ease it over his head.

"No, you can't," Blaine said, tossing Kurt's clothing into the basket in the corner and moving Kurt around until they were facing the mirror. Blaine stared over Kurt's shoulder, his eyes dark as Kurt panted and writhed at the soft touches Blaine lavished on him.

"Blaine, I-"

"Need to shower?" Blaine finished when Kurt stumbled over his words. Kurt nodded, gingery-brown fur appearing in patches over his chest the more Blaine nibbled the back of his neck. "Can I shower with you?"

Kurt trembled as Blaine's hand moved over his belt and pulled it open.

"Well?" Blaine prompted, fingers inching beneath the band of Kurt's pants.

Kurt twisted in Blaine's arms and mouthing wetly at Blaine's neck. "Shower with me and we'll never get out."

Blaine growled and shoved Kurt's pants down to his ankles, nudging Kurt's head up until he could kiss him properly.

Kurt's mind spun as he struggled to get Blaine's clothes off, his tail curling around Blaine's thigh and holding their bodies together.

"Kurt," Blaine whined, pushing Kurt into the wall and grabbing at Kurt's the swell of Kurt's ass. "Kurt, _please _say this is okay."

Kurt manoeuvred their bodies until they were in the shower and he could twist the tap. Blaine twitched at the water tangling his curly fur and tucked his body closer to Kurt, nuzzling at Kurt's neck as Kurt scratched his fingers down Blaine's chest.

"I need you," Blaine whispered, the spray of the water glistening in his hair as he licked the marking behind Kurt's ear. "I _need_ you."

Kurt slipped his leg over Blaine's hip, grinding their erections together as he gripped Blaine's damp hair at the nape of his neck which was losing gel the longer Blaine stood beneath the stream. "I'm yours."

It was too much for Blaine, his chest rumbling as he eased Kurt's chest to the cool tiled wall, ass out and tail coiling in the air as he fumbled for a hold on Blaine's hip.

"Blaine-"

"Shhh," Blaine interrupted, sliding his fingers down to circle Kurt's entrance. Kurt's neck arched into Blaine's shoulder as Blaine inched his fingers in and tried not to be too rough even though he knew Kurt had his speedy adjustment or whatever.

Kurt wiggled back onto Blaine's fingers, an endless stream of desperate pleas falling from his lips until Blaine removed his fingers and pressed the tip of his achingly hard cock inside. A purr of delight built in Kurt's throat as Blaine impaled himself gently, his fingers catching Kurt's as he gradually thrust in and out and set a steady but slow pace.

Blaine sighed into Kurt's neck, tongue laving over the marking as he rolled his hips deep. "Beautiful," he hummed, his spare hand pressing into Kurt's stomach and spreading his palm over Kurt's bellybutton. "So beautiful…so perfect…"

Kurt purred louder as he sagged slightly, allowing Blaine to bend him lower against the wall and jut his hips up harder. His nails bit into the back of Blaine's hand, his tail twining with Blaine's and tightening around Blaine's thigh.

"I'm so lucky…" Blaine said, his hand on Kurt's stomach sliding to wrap around Kurt's cock and jerk him in an alternating rhythm to the thrust of his hips. Kurt cried out, scrabbling at the wall as Blaine bit into the junction of his neck and shoulder and hit his prostate with pinpoint accuracy.

Kurt could feel the twisting burn of pleasure in his belly, his toes curling into the tile as Blaine pounded in and withdrew while his wrist dragged over Kurt's dick. He arched into Blaine's chest, hand grabbing at the curls at the back of Blaine's neck as he sloppily met Blaine's mouth until he couldn't breathe for the pleasure and unravelled, coming over Blaine's hand and the wall and yowling with how powerful and fucking _fantastic_ it felt.

Blaine swore softly, milking Kurt through his orgasm as his pace increased and stuttered and he came, biting into Kurt's shoulder as his body convulsed with waves of bliss. Kurt was purring again as Blaine pressed his thumbs along Kurt's spine, licking the marking and kissing over Kurt's shoulder blades.

"Such a perfect, beautiful mate," Blaine whispered, sliding his arms around Kurt's waist and nuzzling in close while his body was knotted with Kurt's.

Kurt preened under the attention and touch, placing his hands over Blaine's and snuggling their bodies together. His body gradually returned back to being human as the desire wore off, his tail snaking around Blaine's hip and shrinking into a tiny mark at the base of his spine, leaving what looked more like a bruise or birthmark than a part of his hybrid anatomy.

Blaine shuffled their bodies around until Kurt was under the spray and could clean his chest and stomach off, sliding his fingers into Blaine's and waiting patiently until Blaine could ease himself free. Blaine propped himself up against the wall, shutting his eyes as Kurt patiently washed him and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"You're a perfect, beautiful mate too," Kurt murmured into Blaine's ear shyly, a tiny lick to the marking behind it before turning the water off and wrapping a towel around his body.

Blaine smiled happily and accepted the towel Kurt held out to him, drying himself off and pulling the same clothes back on while Kurt slipped around the door to find some fresh clothes in his cupboards.

It was as Kurt was adjusting his shirt that he heard a thump from upstairs and realised his father was home. He bit down on his lip, shaking slightly as he waited for Blaine to get dressed and leave the bathroom.

Blaine stepped out, hair damp and curly, and pulled Kurt into his arms. "Come on."

Breathing so fast he was nearly hyperventilating, Kurt ascended the stairs with Blaine's hand gripped tightly in his and pushed open the door to his basement bedroom.

"About time," Burt called, the rustling of the newspaper coming from the direction of the living room.

Kurt glanced nervously at Blaine who shoved him gently out the door.

Burt looked up from the paper, eyes moving from Kurt to Blaine and narrowing. Blaine automatically stepped behind Kurt's body, peeking from behind his neck at Kurt's father. He'd seen the photos earlier but Kurt was slight and lean. Burt was…well, he was bigger and scarier and had a face that looked like thunder.

"Dad-"

"Don't bother," Burt waved the explanation away, rubbing his hand over his face and sighing. "I was always afraid of this."

"Dad-"

"You're so _young_," Burt complained, removing his hat and gesturing to the couch across from him.

Tentatively, Kurt tugged Blaine over and they sat, hands tangled together. Blaine could feel Kurt's shaking and tried not to belie how terrified he was himself.

"What's your name, son?" Burt asked finally, gaze roaming over Blaine's uniform.

"B-Blaine, sir. Blaine Anderson."

"You don't go to McKinley."

"Dalton, sir. It's a…a private school. In Westerville."

Burt raised an eyebrow at Kurt. "What were you doing over _there_ today?"

Kurt chewed his lip as he looked at his lap. He'd discussed it with Blaine on the drive back to Lima but it was still scary telling his father, who he'd tried to protect for so long. Blaine squeezed his hand and he breathed in deeply and slowly. "I…I'm getting bullied, Dad," he whispered. "And it's bad. Like…it's really bad. Puck… He told me to go check out one of the rival schools we're competing against at Sectionals, Dalton. I did some research and it has a no-bullying policy and it just…it sounded like a fairy-tale…"

Burt frowned. "And you met your mate. We'll discuss more of that later because I want to know about the bullying. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to stress you out… Your heart…" Kurt shrugged. It sounded lame now that he was trying to explain it.

Burt shifted until he could touch Kurt's knee. "Kurt, I'm your father. I told you last year it was my job to love you no matter what and defend your right to love whomever you wanted. I'll take care of my heart, and I'll take care of you, alright?"

Kurt nodded, his eyes welling with tears as Blaine's arm slid over his back comfortingly.

"I know Dalton is private, sir," Blaine began, glancing at Burt nervously and looking away again. "But there's also a policy that if mating occurs with someone external to the school and both are school-age, then the mate can attend the school as well with less fees for both, in an effort to keep them together."

Kurt looked at Blaine, eyes wide. "You didn't tell me that in the car!"

"I didn't want to get your hopes up over what your father might want to do," Blaine hushed, stroking his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand.

Burt reached for Kurt's head, tilting it until he could see the curly 'B' behind his ear. He sighed resignedly at the clear marking. "I know what fresh mating is like," he said, with another raised eyebrow between the two boys. Both blushed and ducked their heads and he knew, he _knew_, it would be wrong to snort and then scold them. "I'm not necessarily _happy_ about the idea of you two being at school together and around each other all the time. But I also refuse to let my son stay at a school where he's being bullied and…assaulted?"

Kurt gave a tight nod. "I get thrown into lockers a lot. Or the dumpster. And lots of slushies. I mean…it's not like it's worse than usual but…I just don't want to put up with it anymore."

Burt nodded and leaned back in his chair as he appraised the two boys. "I'm sure there's one person worse than all the others, because there always is. But pulling that one boy out won't fix the problem because I imagine there are many that would step into his shoes. It's part of the problem with public schools, because they won't accept difference." He scratched at his jaw, the barest hint of stubble appearing. "If this Dalton school is where you'll be safe, then I'll move funds around if necessary so you can go there and not fear for the next attack."

A sob erupted from Kurt's mouth as Blaine hugged him tighter into his body. It was everything he'd wanted, everything he'd hoped for, but he never thought his father would agree to it. He wondered if Blaine as his mate changed things for his father's decision, because the first month of mating was always the hardest and being separated made it difficult to cope. He'd heard enough stories about when his father had mated with his mother twenty years ago and her parents hadn't approved and tried to keep them apart.

"Look, I…" Burt pressed his hands together and rested his chin on top of them. "I'm not going to keep you apart. I know I couldn't if I tried. I wished I'd known you were going to Dalton, or how bad it had gotten at McKinley, or even had a chance to talk to you about how to take care of yourself and not get in over your head too fast. But," he sighed and considered the way that Blaine was clearly protective of Kurt already, "I wasn't much older than you when I met Jules and I know it's not something you can control. Just know that if you need something, either of you," he said, meeting Blaine's gaze, "at any time, then I'm always available to talk and help."

"Thank you, sir," Blaine murmured, rubbing Kurt's back gently.

"Sir? Please. You're my son's mate. It's Burt," Burt huffed, holding out his hand.

With a shy smile, Blaine grasped Burt's hand and shook it firmly.

"So, is it dinner time yet? I can only handle so much serious discussion before I eat," Burt teased.

Kurt snorted wetly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "You can't handle any discussion without food."

"Aww now, that's not fair. I handled this perfectly fine."

Kurt followed his father into the kitchen and Blaine started laughing when he saw half a sandwich on the sideboard. Kurt pointed at it with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, _busted_," Burt muttered with his hands raised. "I smelled it as soon as I walked in. I knew it'd have to happen at some point this afternoon and I wanted to settle my stomach."

Kurt shook his head as he disposed of the sandwich and directed his father to removing some of the produce from the fridge to begin dinner. Blaine sat on one of the kitchen stools and watched with a small smile on his face, grateful that his mate had such an accepting father and grateful that his mate was so utterly damn flawless as he moved around his father with practiced ease and soft laughs as he prepared a simple chicken stir-fry.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **My apologies for the delay but holy fucking _shit_, the reviews I had! THANK YOU so much, I can't even begin to convey my gratitude at the amazing response I had.

I hope this chapter satisfied those thirsting for more, and once again I ask if there's still a desire for an additional chapter? I'm considering the response of Karofsky, or New Directions, but I'm not sure what should be next, or what you might want to see as opposed to what I might consider writing (because this is a story currently being dictated by you as the reader and especially those who review and let me know what they still want!)

And with those parting thoughts, I once again thank everyone who has reviewed - perhaps moreso to those who were anon because I think I responded to everyone signed in - and hope that this satisfied your kinky requests for more ;) xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,084  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>When Blaine startled awake the following morning, it took him a moment to reconcile why he was in a foreign bed with a boy he didn't know. Kurt's quiet, almost silent, breathy snores and the curly 'B' behind his ear suddenly filled Blaine with surge of protection and love and he squeezed up behind Kurt's body, tugging him close and nuzzling into his neck.<p>

Unfortunately, it woke his mate up.

"Mmm….Blaine?"

"Sorry baby. Go back to sleep."

Kurt mumbled something unintelligible before rubbing at his eyes and rolling over in Blaine's arms, his sparkling blue eyes opening and piercing Blaine's hazel. "I could get used to this," he whispered blearily, a shy smile leading to his cheeks turning pink.

Blaine agreed wholeheartedly, pressing his lips to Kurt's and cupping the back of his neck until Kurt groaned and pushed him away gently.

"My mouth tastes foul and it's," he glanced at the clock on the bedside table over Blaine's shoulder, "seven in the morning on a Saturday. I know my father said you could stay the weekend and he'd keep out of our way by going to Carole and Finn's but you're pushing it for the early morning."

Blaine grinned, leaning down to lick a stripe across Kurt's neck. Kurt squealed, batting Blaine away, but Blaine stuck fast, his licks turning into tiny nips and scrapes of teeth until Kurt was moaning softly and clutching at Blaine's curls. He could feel Blaine hardening against his thigh, knew he was also hard in his pyjama pants, and fought with Blaine to seal their mouths together as he wriggled between them to tear their pants away. His back arched into Blaine's, a coiled spring as each of them slipped a thigh between the other's groins and rutted needily against it.

"Kurt…oh God," Blaine grunted, covering Kurt's mouth as Kurt's purrs and growls became panted pleas as he started to unravel.

"Blaine…Blaine, I…" He scraped his claws along Blaine's back, parallel pink lines over Blaine's olive smooth skin. Blaine's speed increased until his rhythm stuttered and he came against Kurt's leg, messy and harshly breathing into Kurt's neck. He jerked his thigh between Kurt's legs faster until Kurt followed him, a high-pitched keen dragged from his lips as he bucked up into Blaine's body.

Sated, content, warm, happy, Kurt ignored the mess covering their lower bodies and curled into Blaine's chest, purring and rubbing his fingers over Blaine's chest. "Mine," he murmured, nosing and kissing over Blaine's heart.

"Likewise," Blaine agreed, petting Kurt's hair and smiling lazily.

Kurt eventually decided it was too gross to lay there in dried, sticky semen and wandered into the shower to clean up. Blaine quite enjoyed the view of Kurt's ass and felt his ears flop and noticed the smell of arousal still lingering in the room as Kurt glanced over his shoulder with a tiny smile.

Burt popped in throughout the weekend, making sure they ate dinner together and checking on them. He explained that on Monday he'd start the process for Kurt to transfer to Dalton and hoped it wouldn't take more than a week. Kurt looked distressed, shoving his carrots to the side of his plate.

"I don't _want _it to take a week," he complained. "It's awful. It's…I'm _mated_, Dad. It's going to get so much worse now. Now I'm not just a freak who likes boys but a freak who found another freak to mate with."

"Kurt," Burt chided as Blaine reached over the table to squeeze Kurt's hand.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said quickly, looking at Blaine with tear-filled eyes. "It's not that I'm calling you a freak. We're all hybrids. They just…McKinley doesn't seem to understand that I can't control that I find other boys attractive."

"It's okay," Blaine assured, rubbing his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand. Kurt gave a watery smile which wasn't at all convincing. The meal continued in silence.

On Sunday, Burt sad Blaine really needed to be getting back to Dalton. Admittedly, Blaine did have homework to do and needed to make an important call to his parents and brother but it was difficult to consider parting from Kurt for nearly a week. It was still so new and fragile that the two hour drive back to Dalton was carried out by Burt while Kurt and Blaine snuggled in the backseat, unable to be closer unless physically connected. Which Burt had made very clear was not happening in _his_ backseat, no thank you.

Blaine met Wes at the gate, who looked pleased at his return and greeted Kurt with a caring smile. He encouraged Kurt to transfer as soon as possible and Burt said he hoped it would be done within the week. Wes shook Burt's hand and spoke with him about the school while Kurt and Blaine tried to accept that they would be parted until at least Friday or Saturday.

"It's okay, we'll be okay," Blaine whispered, brushing Kurt's tears away and running his fingers through Kurt's hair.

"I miss you already though," Kurt confessed as he held onto Blaine's jacket.

"I miss you already too. But we can call every day. We have school and Glee. We'll keep busy and the time will fly."

"Is this what it's always going to be like?" Kurt asked, tucking his chin into the crook of Blaine's neck. "Is it always going to be so hard parting from you?"

Blaine didn't know. He kissed the side of Kurt's head near the marking. ""I hope not."

Wes eventually tugged them apart and Kurt watched Blaine forlornly in the backseat window of Burt's truck.

* * *

><p>Monday morning dawned too bright and yet too rainy. It reflected Kurt's mood as he climbed out of bed and organised his outfit for the day. His father had left him a note reminding him of seeing Figgins about transferring papers and he sighed as he packed his bag, feeling like completing homework this week was going to feel pointless when he transferred to a school following a different curriculum with harder courses.<p>

Brittany and Santana found him first. Brittany squealed, hugging him as was customary before pulling away and sniffing at his neck. "You smell different."

Kurt opened his mouth to tell her it was nothing, when Santana's eyes widened. "You mated!"

Brittany gaped, staring between the two until Kurt finally nodded. "Yes. But please….keep it quiet?"

Unexpectedly, Santana shrieked and hugged him at the same time as Brittany threw her arms around him again. He felt like he was in the middle of a Cheerio sandwich and wasn't sure he liked it.

"Um…Santana. You're touching me.," he said awkwardly, trying to disentangle himself.

"I realise," she said, glancing around and smoothing out invisible creases in her uniform. "But it's good to know you aren't alone anymore. It gives the rest of us hope."

Kurt glanced between Santana and Brittany, knowing they weren't mated, knowing if they were meant to be they would have by now. Brittany was a wide-eyed wonder child, beautiful and slightly ditzy and, to Kurt's knowledge, she'd never released her smell around anyone. She'd made out with people and she held pinkies with Santana, but it wasn't mating. It wasn't love. It was just…Kurt supposed it was like the relationship between his father and Carole. Unmated people often needed companionship and frequently found themselves in relationships that weren't based on anything just to satisfy the craving for touch and acceptance. It wasn't uncommon for relationships to start and end suddenly when one half of the couple found their mate.

They led him through the halls of McKinley, moving carefully around any slushie-wielding jocks and to his locker where they left him to collect his books for the day. Brittany gave him a peck on the cheek and skipped off, pinkie hooked with Santana's as they headed to class together.

Mike was the next to find out, seeing the mark behind Kurt's ear in Math class, which they shared. He kicked Kurt's chair until Kurt abruptly turned around when Mr Murphy finished his lecture for the morning.

"_What_?" he snapped at the irritating Asian.

"I can see your ear, dude," Mike said flippantly.

Kurt flushed and rubbed behind his ear. "Yeah. Um….I'll explain after?"

"You better," Mike said, turning back to the assigned work.

Kurt found it difficult to concentrate the rest of the lesson but managed to complete at least half the work, which didn't leave him a lot of difficult homework. Although why he'd bother finishing it off for a school he was leaving he couldn't remember.

Tina was waiting outside the room and Kurt rolled his eyes as Mike slipped his arm through hers and dragged Kurt in the direction of the choir room.

"Well?" Tina asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"It happened Friday. I went to spy like Puck told me to and….and I saw him and everything just…it changed….I knew…"

Tina and Mike nodded, hands clasped and happy smiles on their faces. "So you mated with the competition?" Mike questioned with a grin. "Rachel's going to have a fit."

"Rachel can have an egg, for all I care," Kurt frowned. "Mating is mating. What she did last year with Jesse was just lust and hormones."

"True," Tina agreed with a nod. "But she hoped it was real at the time and Jesse fed her a lot of crap that she wanted to believe."

They chatted through the recess break until the bell rang and Tina left for English and Mike headed to Gym class. Kurt had French and seriously considered skipping it except getting a detention wasn't exactly worth it.

Halfway down a deserted corridor, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He turned around but didn't even make it halfway before Karofsky had shoved him into the metal locker.

"Watch it, homo," he sneered, continuing on his journey as if nothing had happened, as if Kurt wasn't clutching his shoulder and gasping with fear.

He arrived to French only a few minutes late, having taken a quick detour to a bathroom to dab his face with cold water and calm down. He slid into the seat beside Azimio and proceeded to spend the lesson insulting him and his Neanderthal jock friends in whatever way that he could come up with.

Lunch was the first bout of fireworks for the day. Mike had told Puck and Finn during Gym and both hurried over to the table he was eating at with Mercedes and Quinn.

"Dude," Puck said, sidling up behind him and grabbing at his ear roughly. Kurt flinched away but Puck had seen and he cheered, holding out his fist to Kurt. Nervously, Kurt bumped his fist back and glanced at the others at the table.

"You didn't tell me?" Mercedes gaped, checking behind his ear and scowling. "I knew you smelled different. I thought it was just new cologne."

Quinn smiled weakly, her eyes darting between Puck and Kurt. "I'm happy for you," she said, touching the back of Kurt's hand and grabbing her tray to sit with the rest of the Cheerios.

"I didn't want a spectacle made out of it," Kurt explained under his voice to Mercedes, putting tilting his head to rest it in his hand to cover the single letter behind his ear.

"Boy, you got mated. That deserves a spectacle and a celebration!" she crowed, squishing him into a hug. He blushed and pushed her off, not really comfortable with the physical contact.

Kurt's eyes flickered up to Finn, who was still staring at him like he'd frozen to his spot. "Finn?"

"So that's why your dad was over at our place so much this weekend? He was giving you…space?"

Kurt felt his cheeks heat as he ducked his head. "Y-yes."

"And you…?" Finn swallowed, the grip on his lunch tray white.

"Yes, Finn. I had sex. I mated. What do you think is involved?"

Puck gave another hoot and Mercedes threw a tater tot at him.

Finn set his try down with a clatter and slowly eased into his seat. "I um….I'm….glad for you, dude."

Kurt bit his lip and twisted his hands together. "I know things are awkward because of how I acted last year, but-"

"No. No, it's….it's okay. I'm over it. I'm past it. I'm….I'm glad you found someone that returned your….um, your affections," Finn stammered.

Kurt nodded, tapping his feet under the table. He'd completely embarrassed himself in front of Finn on multiple occasions, his ears, tail and claws making themselves known on multiple occasions. Not to mention the smell that had kind of been unleashed a few times. Finn had always made it very clear he wasn't gay and he wasn't interested, but it was hard to control a reaction that was a part of him that he couldn't really control.

The tension across the lunch table between Kurt and Finn continued, although Kurt wasn't really sure why. He wondered if it was some lingering homophobia on Finn's part after they'd nearly shared a bedroom late the previous school year, but Burt had overheard Finn's language and tossed him out. It made him uneasy and concerned, even if there was no reason to be, because the way their parents' relationship was heading, they'd be stepbrothers soon enough and he really needed Finn to be on his side.

And then it occurred to him that Blaine boarded at Dalton, so what was to stop Kurt from boarding too? It would be easier on his petrol budget and car, not to mention better for their mating. Suddenly distracted by the thoughts of falling asleep against Blaine each night and waking in his arms each morning, he tuned out of the stilted conversation that flowed around him and got lost in a world he never realised he longed so desperately for.

He wasn't consciously aware of the rest of the day, lost to daydreams of a life in New York with Blaine, lost to a lifetime with Blaine, snug and safe and content. He absently scribbled down notes in English, turning over the questions of whether Blaine wanted children, or he wanted to live in New York, or he wanted to travel. There were so many possibilities and with a bit of a startle, he wondered if Blaine even wanted a fraction of the things that Kurt had planned for his life. They were mated. They had to spend at least a month close together otherwise one or both of them would go mad like Kurt's mother had. They were basically tied together until one of them died.

By the time the bell rang and the class started shuffling out of English, Kurt had wound himself into a panic and stumbled blindly down a corridor, seeking a bathroom, seeking a doorway out.

What he found was a slushie to the face that knocked him out of his daze at the same time as chilling him to the core.

"Found a freak to match your levels?" Azimio sneered as he tossed the empty cup at Kurt's feet. "That's impressive even for you."

The jock high-fived whoever had been with him as Kurt groped at the ice in his eyes and renewed his search for a bathroom, this time to clean up.

He stripped out of as many layers as he dared, scrubbing the blue dye from his face and hair until his skin was partly pink and partly purple from the vigour that he scratched at his skin. He could tell that his clothes were going to ruin, although he a little glad they were darker colours so the damage wouldn't show quite as badly. Maybe he could put a dye through the wash and blend it altogether to be almost navy?

There was twenty minutes left of History before the end of the day and Glee, so he packed up his bags and went to talk to Figgins about transfer papers, deciding that the best way of getting out of class was using the excuse he'd been waiting to talk to the principal. He smiled at the receptionist as he took a seat, glancing at where Figgins and Coach Sue were apparently having a heated discussion and fidgeted with his fingers. He nearly fell out of his seat when his phone vibrated in his pocket and he slipped it out, glancing at the screen.

'_Calm down. Keep safe. Courage. –B. xo_'

He smiled as he wiped his thumb across the screen, feeling the bubble of anxiety pop and dissolve in his chest asSue stormed out with a curse at the receptionist and a dismissive sniff at Kurt.

Figgins waved him in and Kurt explained the situation, peeling back the shell of his ear to show that yes, he had been marked, yes, it had been consummated, and yes, he had to transfer as quickly as possible.

"Well, we've had a lot of trouble catering to members of your little Glee club. Maybe one less will mean Mr Schue finally closes it down," Figgins said, filling out some papers on his desk with a frown.

Incensed, Kurt crossed his arms. "My 'little Glee club' has problems because you continue to keep a slushie machine on the school grounds even though your cleaners can't scrub the dye from the floor. Are you blind, deaf, naïve or stupid to what goes on in the corridors of this school? You don't seem to want to deal with the bullying of any of us."

Figgins put his pen down, steeping his fingers beneath his chin. "I can't do much, Mr Hummel. I hear and see plenty but teenagers will be teenagers and I'm powerless to do much about it."

"Hilarious," Kurt drawled, hearing the bell ring in the corridors. "The school I'm transferring to seems to be run pretty tightly and it seems to actually _work_ too."

"Not everyone has the abundance of money that private establishments do," Figgins sniffed, finishing off the papers he had to fill in for Kurt's transfer. He held them over the desk and Kurt switched his gaze between them and his soon-to-be former principal.

"Not everyone needs an abundance of money to make a statement that hurting others isn't okay," Kurt said finally, snatching the papers from Figgins' hands and leaving the room. He made sure to give a smile, albeit strained, at the receptionist and pushed between all the bodies to get through the school to Glee club.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Because of length (I'm keeping these chapters shorter, around three thousand words), the next chapter will deal with Rachel and ND finding out about Kurt's impending transfer. Depending on how long that goes for, we might see Blaine telling his family about the mating, or that may end up in Chapter 5 (can someone tell Rachel to just stop squawking with rage and settle the hell down?)

Thank you to those fabulous, wonderful people who have been messaging me so much since the last update and given me so many ideas and directions for the story. I am truly indebted to you beyond what my words can express!

As always, I welcome your thoughts for this chapter and for future directions, because I'm still navigating the storyline! (And though I don't normally do this, check out _A Family By Any Other Name_, my AnderBerry sequel...the last chapter got three reviews and I has a sad..FEED ME LOVE.)

Okay. I'll stop being an attention whore-y writer. Thank you darling readers xoxo


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,560  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt entered the choir room to find Rachel in a chair, legs crossed and her foot tapping in the air. When she spotted Kurt walking through the door, she was up and charging across the room.<p>

"Why didn't you tell me?" she yelled.

"What-"

She yanked at his ear, rotating his head to look at the marking. His bag fell off his shoulder as he yelped with pain. He smacked her hand away, rubbing at his twisted neck and wondered when the hell people couldn't just_ ask_?

"_Why_ didn't you tell me?" she repeated.

Other members of New Directions were filtering in through the other door, carefully avoiding the confrontation by averting their gazes.

"Because it wasn't your business," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "It's _my_ mating, it's _my_ marking, and why anyone feels their entitled to demand answers is beyond me."

"Well, it is sort of sudden, dude," Finn spoke up as he entered the room. "I mean, you don't even _know_ the guy."

"That tends to be how mating works," Kurt scowled as Finn came to stand beside Rachel.

"Is it?" Rachel said. "Because as far as I'm concerned, you've mated with the lead singer of the enemy and that makes your allegiances difficult to discern."

"Oh my God, are you kidding me?" He stared her down and realised she was serious. "How many times have you screwed us over with your dalliances? You've been with Finn and you sold us out to Vocal Adrenaline last year with Jesse!"

"I thought he was my mate!" she shrieked.

"You wouldn't know your mate bit you on your ass!" he shouted back. "You know Mating Lore!" He turned to look at Finn. "As do you! You know that you would have mated with her by now if it was meant to be! You slept with Santana out of self-hatred and you've broken Quinn and Rachel's hearts too many times. You know that's not _mating_. You know that's not how it works!"

"I was lonely," Finn grumped.

"You think I _wasn't_?" Kurt snapped, shoving Finn in the chest. "You've broken my heart too and I had to accept that I'm the only out kid at this school! But now I've found someone that wants _me_, that cares for _me_, that returns my feelings and you're trying to make me feel guilty about it!"

"How do you know it's not just because someone finally returned your affections?" Finn said harshly. "You just jumped the first guy who felt the same and-"

Kurt didn't even realise his hand had raised and smacked Finn across the cheek until the quiet murmurs in the background of the room fell silent. Finn was panting as he covered his face, his eyes wide as he stared at Kurt.

"You know Mating Lore," Kurt said again. "You know that when you meet that person, that's it. It's not because he's the first person to return my feelings. It's not because I'm trying to betray my fucking _choir_ group," he glared at Rachel. "It's because I saw him and he saw me and it just _was_."

Mike and Tina linked hands where they were sitting and shared a smile.

"I just want someone," Rachel admitted quietly, her eyes damp with tears. She gazed at Finn who looked away.

"You can want someone all you want," Kurt replied. "But I've found my mate and…and I'm leaving at the end of the week to be with him at Dalton."

The revelation led to renewed yelling from Rachel and Finn until Mr Schue walked in and Tina wrapped her arms around Kurt from behind.

"Whoa, guys! What's going on?"

"Kurt's _leaving_," Rachel said angrily. "He's mated and he's just going to up and leave us!"

Tina squeezed Kurt to restrain him from throttling the stupid brunette.

"Kurt, is this true?"

Kurt tilted his head to show the marking behind his ear. "The first month is the hardest. You're all aware of this. I can't be away from him. I _need_ him."

Tina rubbed her hand over his shoulder and he relaxed slightly. Was it a _thing_ that mated people could calm each other down better than the unmated?

"Then bring him here!" Rachel insisted. "We could use his talents. We could-"

Kurt laughed bitterly. "A gay, mated couple walking the corridors of McKinley? What planet are you _on_, Rachel? I value my safety and I value his. I can't bring him here and I _won't_stay here."

Rachel closed her mouth, struggling with finding further arguments. Finn, on the other hand, wasn't done.

"I still don't understand," he said. "I don't understand how it all just _happened_. Why you found your mate so quickly and easily and the rest of us have relationships but don't relate on that level. It's not fair that you just have this," he floundered for the right words, "this _chance_ encounter and you what? You just _happen_ to meet a guy and jump his bones and that's that? You're going to leave McKinley for a guy you don't even know?"

Kurt shrugged as Mike came to stand beside him, his hand sliding to rest on the small of Tina's back. "When you know, you know," Mike said calmly. "You can't blame Kurt for who that mate happens to be or where he goes to school or when it happened. We should be happy for him, not criticising."

Tina tucked her chin over the back of Kurt's shoulder to stare at Rachel and Finn. Kurt laid his arms over hers and breathed as slowly as he could.

As was typical, Mr Schue had crept to the side of the room and was marking papers to stay out of the argument. Kurt felt a flare of anger at how frequently the teachers just stopped caring at this school. Dalton might not be much better with teacher intervention, Kurt didn't know yet, but the students were at the very least more mature and approving than any of Kurt's friends. Well, the unmated friends. Tina and Mike understood what he was feeling because they'd had to answer to Artie's distressed rage. Frustration started to boil as he wrenched himself free from Tina.

"I'm not going to be at Glee this week. Good luck with Sectionals. See you around I guess," he said, grabbing his bag and stalking out of the room.

He fumbled for his phone as he walked to his car, swiping at Blaine's name.

"Kurt?"

The ache in his heart eased as he heard Blaine's voice in his ear. "Things went like shit here. How are you?"

"Do you want me to drive to Lima?"

Kurt unlocked his car and slid into the driver's seat, gripping the wheel with his spare hand and feeling the first tear trickle down his cheek.

"Would you?"

"Of course I would. If you need me, I'll be there in a couple of hours."

He sniffed and then realised he'd just given away he was crying.

"I'm leaving now. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"O-okay. Thank you."

He could practically hear Blaine's smile through the receiver. "Any time."

* * *

><p>He heard the slam of car doors and leapt from where he'd curled up on the couch, chewing at his nails. He pulled the door open and ran into Blaine's arms, flinging his arms around Blaine's neck and holding on tightly.<p>

"Hey…" Blaine whispered, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist.

Kurt trembled, sniffing at Blaine's neck and licking softly, feeling his fractured nerves knitting back together at the immediate comfort that Blaine's presence offered. Blaine held him steady as Kurt reacquainted himself with Blaine's smell and Blaine's body, gripping at the curls that had loosened at the nape of his neck.

"C'mon, let's get inside," Blaine murmured, gently tugging him into the house and leading him to the couch where he pulled Kurt into his lap.

Kurt pawed at Blaine's blazer until Blaine wriggled it off his shoulders, draping it over the arm of the couch at the same time as Kurt untucked Blaine's shirt to slide his fingers against the skin of Blaine's stomach. The feel of his flesh, taut and lean, had Kurt snuggling as close as he could as he clutched Blaine to him.

"You're certainly cuddly," Blaine noted, kissing the top of Kurt's head.

"They didn't understand," Kurt admitted, tears welling in his eyes. "Rachel and Finn. They couldn't… They didn't support me. Rachel wanted to know why I'd betrayed Glee club and mated with the enemy and Finn…" He choked on a sob and pushed on. "Finn thought I had just jumped the first person who returned my own exposure from arousal."

Blaine adjusted where Kurt's head was leaning so he could slide his tongue over the curly marking behind Kurt's ear. Kurt shivered and started purring, the tension in his spine relaxing. Blaine pressed the flat of his tongue against the marking and Kurt groaned, his claws unsheathed and scratching at Blaine's stomach.

"Did you remind them of Lore?" Blaine asked as he dragged his nose down Kurt's neck.

"Y-yes," he whimpered. "But they didn't care. They said it wasn't real. They said-"

Blaine covered Kurt's mouth and angled his head until their eyes met. "This _is_ real. You know that, right?"

Kurt nodded silently, the rims of his eyes red and swollen.

"What happened… It was surely unexpected for both of us, but it did. And I wouldn't change it for the world. You're mine and I want the whole the whole world to know it." Blaine's thumb brushed over Kurt's cheek, catching the tear that streaked down his face. "And you also know that it's common for the unmated to be jealous for a little while, because another has paired off and they're still alone. How did you feel after Tina and Mike mated?"

Blaine slowly removed his hand, his thumb catching on the swell over Kurt's lower lip before slipping over his neck.

"I was angry," Kurt confessed, glancing down at his lap. "Tina had been dating Artie and then all of a sudden she and Mike were inseparable and," a tear splashed against his arm, "I realised, once again, how utterly alone I was. I thought it would be forever, because who would lo- want someone like me? Who would care? I felt so vacant and broken."

Blaine nodded and kissed Kurt's cheek. "Now imagine how you'd feel if it was someone from another school, your competition for Sectionals, and it was the lead of that group. Imagine the chance of fate that you'd stop the right person and it would all fall into place the way it did for us."

Kurt sighed and leaned his face against Blaine's shoulder, the pads of his fingertips warm against Blaine's skin. "It still hurts."

"I know it does," Blaine soothed, squeezing Kurt against him. "Especially when I wasn't there, but it's okay." His lips brushed over Kurt's forehead. "And you're not alone now. You're never alone, ever again, because I'm here, I wanted you, I'll always want you. You're my mate and I'm not going anywhere."

Kurt thought back to lunch. "What if we have conflicting plans?"

Blaine blinked. "What?"

"What if…what if I want to do one thing and you want to do another? What if they're oppositional? What if we disagree?"

Blaine chuckled. "Kurt, how well do you know Lore?"

"Enough," he said. At Blaine's continued silence, he mumbled, "Some."

"Clearly you missed the part that mates won't manage separation for long. There's more than just the physical desire that sparks the mating and marking. There's a deep-seated_knowing_, an instinct if you like, that you're matched in a way beneath the physical but down to the core, where your souls sing to each other and find kindred wants, kindred needs, kindred feelings. Where you ache, I can heal it. Where I'm injured, you hold the pieces to fix me. Mating is about matching on every level and knowing what to do to help the other."

Kurt gazed up at Blaine, enthralled at his knowledge and the calm way he spoke of things Kurt had always avoided. Truthfully, he didn't know Lore that well because he'd convinced himself he'd never find his mate, and now here Blaine was, bearing a 'K' in the colour of Kurt's eyes behind his ear. His mate, his match.

"It's why you only really get one and people fall into relationships to heal the pain of loneliness and loss," Burt said quietly from the archway, startling Kurt so suddenly that he fell out of Blaine's lap with a thump and a muffled "ow".

"Mister Hummel! I didn't hear you come in! I'm sorry, Kurt called and-"

"It's fine," Burt interrupted, holding up a hand to cut off Blaine's babbled apologies. "And it's Burt. Surely you can't have forgotten already?"

Blaine flushed and Kurt crawled back onto the couch, tangling his fingers with Blaine's.

"I came in while you were explaining Lore," Burt said, his eyes shifting to Kurt's and walking into the room to sink into his armchair. "It was quite accurate."

"Thank you, sir," Blaine said, ducking his head.

Burt removed his cap and scratched at his balding head. "It's possible to find a second mate if your original one dies young, usually prior to eighteen, but it's rare. If you lose your mate before old age starts to creep in and wither your bones, you never quite get over it."

"But Carole…?" Kurt frowned.

"Carole is a lovely, wonderful, kind, beautiful woman," Burt acknowledged with a smile. "But she's not my mate. She's not a replacement for Julia, and I'm not a replacement for Chris. She makes the day easier, she understands what it's like to be alone and need comfort, but what I feel for her pales in comparison to how I felt about your mother, Kurt."

Blaine's fingers stroked over the back of Kurt's hand.

"I take it from Blaine's presence, school was a disaster?"

Kurt nodded, snuggling backwards into Blaine's arms. "I got my papers filled out by Figgins but Glee club was pretty harsh."

"The unmated always struggle," Burt frowned. "And your Glee club swap partners faster than I can keep up with. They just wish they were you."

"I know they do," Kurt mumbled. "Blaine put it in perspective for me."

Burt nodded and scratched behind his ear absently.

"Can I see?" Blaine said suddenly, cheeks tinting red. "I mean, that's highly inappropriate. I'm sorry."

Burt rolled his eyes and turned his head, peeling back his ear where a blackened 'J' was hidden. Blaine inhaled sharply and bit down on his lip.

"Don't bother with apologies," Burt said, sitting back in his seat properly. "Sometimes we lose those we love most. I was at least blessed to have met her and had a wonderful son." His eyes sparkled as he looked at Kurt. "And he seems to have found a very dignified young man for his mate."

Blaine felt his face blush again as Kurt squeezed at his hand.

"Now, should I start on dinner or do you boys need, uh…space?" Burt said awkwardly.

Kurt squeaked and flushed. "Start on dinner. I need to do some homework. Can we just spend time together?"

Burt shrugged. "I can't stop you anymore, Kurt." He climbed to his feet and patted Kurt and Blaine on the shoulder before shuffling into the kitchen.

Blaine immediately latched on to licking the mark behind Kurt's neck, clutching Kurt against him almost desperately.

"Blaine?"

"Shh…I just…shh…" He nibbled lightly at Kurt's ear before kissing at the 'B'.

Kurt relaxed as Blaine pressed his lips all over the back of Kurt's neck, his fingers inching beneath the hem of Kurt's shirt and scraping at the sensitive skin of Kurt's stomach.

He heard a clatter from the kitchen and grabbed Blaine's hand, shoving him down the stairs and closing the door shut behind him. Blaine was on him in an instant, battling with the layers Kurt was wearing while Kurt tore roughly at Blaine's shirt, buttons scattering across his bedroom floor.

"You're going to destroy all my shirts," Blaine complained, sucking a mark into Kurt's neck as they tumbled onto the bed in a mess of limbs.

"Need you," Kurt panted, shoving off his skinny jeans and briefs as Blaine fumbled with getting his school slacks off. "Blaine…_Blaine_…"

"Shhh," Blaine grunted, rolling onto his back and stroking his fingers across the soft hair covering Kurt's chest.

"Blaine, _please_…" Kurt whined, clambering on top of Blaine's chest and moaning as Blaine roughly circled his entrance and slipped two fingers inside, stretching him and feeling the slickness of Kurt's ass, grateful that he didn't have to waste time finding lube and using it because he just needed Kurt so badly. Kurt wiggled backwards until he felt the head of Blaine's cock nudging his entrance.

"Blaine-"

Blaine growled, clenching his fingers into Kurt's hips and thrusting up, deep and hard as Kurt arched his back and keened. His hands buried into the pillow beside Blaine's head as he rocked his hips back and down as Blaine jerked forward and up. Kurt could feel his breath shortening and catching, his breathy pleas silenced by Blaine yanking him into a wet, frantic kiss. And then the world broke apart, his body shaking violently as he came with a scream. Blaine followed him seconds later and he felt the purring rumble through his body at the heat of Blaine filling him up.

He squealed and giggled when Blaine tossed them over, still connected deep within Kurt's body and kissed over Kurt's face.

"So beautiful," Blaine cooed, mouthing over Kurt's jaw and licking the 'B' behind his ear. "Gorgeous. Wonderful. Glorious. _Mine_."

Kurt smiled lazily as Blaine nipped his teeth over Kurt's neck. "I'm so lucky," he breathed, eyes drifting shut as he curled his fingers into Blaine's hair.

"_You're_ lucky? Quite the opposite, because I do believe _I'm_ the luckiest person ever," Blaine admonished as he hummed with happiness and pleasure at Kurt stroking his hair. He continued sniffing and licking over any section of Kurt's skin he could reach until he could slide free of Kurt's body and felt the slight shudder of being apart.

With a stretch that popped the joints of his elbows and shoulders, Kurt went to wash himself up before dinner. Blaine cuddled a pillow that was doused in Kurt's scent until Kurt pressed behind Blaine's body and nosed at his loose curls.

Burt eventually knocked on the door and the indication was that dinner was ready. With a begrudging sigh, Blaine stumbled to the bathroom to clean up while Kurt straightened his clothes and picked up where Blaine's were scattered over his bedroom floor. He smiled fondly at the destroyed uniform shirt, retrieving a similar one from his wardrobe and deciding to keep Blaine's until such time as he could enjoy Blaine's actual body and smell at his disposal when he needed it.

"Um, Kurt?" Blaine interrupted his thoughts with a shy smile, grabbing at his clothes and tugging them on. Kurt averted his eyes until Blaine turned him back, his hands cupping Kurt's cheeks and kissing him deeply. "You're incredible," he breathed over Kurt's face, warm and faintly sweet.

Kurt blushed and dropped his eyes as Blaine kissed him again.

Dimly he was aware of his father knocking on the door again and Blaine called they'd be there soon, before Blaine's eyes pierced his. "I feel like I've known you forever," he murmured, his thumb curving over Kurt's nose and across his cheekbone.

Kurt's eyelids fluttered shut as he preened under the touch. "Isn't that what mating is all about?"

"I was like you. I never expected to meet my mate. I never thought I'd find someone who understood the silent pain in my heart," Blaine confessed with a sad sort of a smile. "But I have and…and I…" He swallowed the nerves in his stomach as Kurt's eyes opened. "I love knowing that I'm yours and your mine."

Kurt smiled and kissed Blaine's palm. "Forever yours."

Blaine's smile turned happier as he pulled Kurt into a hug. "Forever."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **My apologies about the lack of Blaine's parents and their reaction. It's coming, I promise (not _that_ sort of coming either!)

Did Finn and Rachel seem a little out of character? What did you think about the introduction of the idea of Lore? Does it help you understand the world I'm trying to build? There'll be more discussion of Lore in future chapters, although I'm still figuring it out, so any rules or ideas you have, I'm always willing to hear!

Love you always for reading xo


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,370  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Blaine reluctantly returned to Dalton that evening and Kurt, even <em>more<em> reluctantly, returned to McKinley the following day. He stared over the wheel of his car at the people milling around the entrance and sighed. He wasn't prepared for this and he knew it was going to be awful.

Fifteen minutes later, he realised it was worse than he'd predicted. He was glad he'd dressed in darker colours and brought several changes of clothes in case, because he was a dripping slushie rainbow, muddled colours staining the floor as he trudged towards the locker room. As if knowing that was where he would end up heading, Azimio and Karofsky were waiting with a couple of other jocks, slushie cups in both hands, and upended them over his head. The additional coldness was barely even felt and he was too overwhelmed with exhaustion to bother fighting it. He only had a few days and then he'd be gone and out of this wretched homophobic hellhole.

Shutting the door to one of the shower cubicles, he tucked his bag onto the bench so it would stay dry and away from prying fingers and turned on the shower spray. Removing a change of clothes and a towel, he stepped beneath the water where the heat slammed against his icy body and made him shudder as sensation returned to his face and fingers, the slush rinsing off his clothes and swirling in coloured rivulets down the drain. He slowly removed his sticky clothes and dropped them in a wet pile, shivering a little at how vulnerable he was standing naked there, even if he was behind a locked cubicle door. Anxious, he towelled himself dry and started pulling on his first change of clothes, hoping he wasn't going to set a record for the amount of showers in one day to remove the dye that had already stained his skin in blotches. He probably looked like a cow that could be displayed in a gay pride parade.

Scowling, he shoved his wet clothes into a garbage bag and unlocked the cubicle lock, glancing around to make sure no one was ready to surprise him with a slushie as soon as he'd cleaned himself up the first time. The locker room was, mercifully, clear and he exited into the deserted halls to stow the bag in his locker, horribly late for English and yet what did it matter? He wasn't going to be here long. Let them give him a detention he'd refuse to serve.

As he approached his locker, he noticed someone had cleverly defaced it with 'Freak' and rolled his eyes, pulling the padlock off and sorting out the belongings he needed for the day before running down corridors to make it to his class. Mrs Montgomery wasn't impressed but shrugged at the idea of giving him a detention and told him not to be late next time. Kurt wondered if she was a little batty because clearly there wouldn't _be_ a next time once he was gone, but he wasn't going to push his luck and slid into his seat, ignoring the smirks of the jocks around him.

The day went much as he had expected it to on the slushie and locker slam front. If his skin wasn't permanently damaged by the constant ice-then-hot-water routine, then it was surely permanently stained by the dye in the slushies. He was grateful he'd overpacked changes of clothes even though he had a sodden collection of clothing in the garbage bag to thoroughly wash when he got home. The slushies did have one unexpected bonus, which was that it allowed him to avoid having any conversations or confrontations with members of New Directions. He saw Quinn at one stage when he wiped green ice from his eyes, a pitying expression before she turned away. He controlled his anger and made the trek back to the locker room for another shower.

By the end of the day, he'd had at least five showers and was sure to have received at least fifty slushies thrown at him or tipped over his head. The jocks appeared to enjoy the mass attack, stopping him in the middle of a corridor, surrounding him to block any attempt at an escape and drenching him from every angle, the icy mixture finding its way down his clothes and into his underwear and shoes and socks and just _everywhere_. He was almost tempted to storm into Figgins' office, dripping everywhere and staining the carpet, making a spectacle of himself by demanding the removal of the machine and showing Figgins exactly why he was leaving and what a pathetic excuse for a principal he was, but he refrained because really, it wouldn't prove anything. He was getting out of here. That was the important thing.

He sat heavily on the bench in the locker room, organising his things in his bag before he headed to his car. It was basically just something to do to keep his hands busy while he waited for the rest of the students to leave so he could escape to his car unscathed by further icy drinks.

The door to the locker room slammed open and he flinched back instinctively, his eyes raising to meet the dark glare of Karofsky.

"You think you can just leave so easy, huh?" the jock said, hauling Kurt up by the lapels of his shirt and shoving him back into a locker with a crash. He whimpered in fright, his eyes wide at the fury contorting Karofsky's face. "You think you can just waltz out and run off to some other school and we'll leave you alone? We _know_ where you're going, Hummel. We'll pay you visits if you like. Bring baskets of baked goods for you."

"I'm not going to prison," he hissed, pushing at Karofsky's arms to get them off him.

"No, because that would be an easier place for a freak like you. It's what you _deserve_," Karofsky grunted, his grip on Kurt's shirt tightening.

Kurt whined, kicking his feet desperately as he started to see Karofsky change. His terror was nearly suffocating at the…the _feathers_ that were erupting along Karofsky's hands and arms and he fought harder. He was marked! He was mated! This wasn't going to happen. Karofsky couldn't lay claim to him anymore, not that he would have ever returned the affections anyway.

With an angered roar and a strength he didn't know he possessed, he kicked Karofsky hard between his legs. Karofsky's face crumpled, his hands dropping to cup his groin as he fell to his knees with a hurt moan. Squeaking in fright, Kurt grabbed his bag and the garbage bag containing his clothes and ran, ran until his side hurt and burned and he was struggling to breathe as he fumbled with his keys to unlock the door. He was shaking so badly, it took ten attempts to put the key in the ignition but he refused to wait until he'd calmed down, needing to get away and home so he could hide under his blankets and try to pretend it was all a horrific dream.

The drive home was a blur and he probably ran a red light or a stop sign in his dazed state. His father's truck wasn't there so he stumbled out of his Navigator and into the house, making sure the front door was securely locked before closing up his bedroom door and crawling beneath the blanket covering his bed. It still faintly smelled of Blaine and suddenly the fright gave way to tears, choked sobs escaping his mouth as he pulled a pillow into his chest and clutched at it. He wanted to scream and ask questions, but he knew what it meant. He _knew_ what the exposure of Karofsky's animal side meant and he clung to the pillow tighter. He couldn't go back to McKinley, not tomorrow, not ever. Not while Karofsky was there. It wasn't safe anymore.

He cried until exhaustion caught up with him, hiccupping breaths and wiping his cheeks in an attempt to calm down. He jumped when his phone pierced the air with a shrill ring from his pocket and he tugged it free.

"Kurt? I'm outside your bedroom door. Can I come in?"

He coughed and sniffled. "Blaine? What are you doing here?"

"Please? I'm at the door. I'll explain when you let me in."

Kurt's body ached with emotional fatigue as he climbed the staircase and flicked the locks on the door and opened it.

Blaine's look was so filled with concern and warmth that he felt the emotion squeeze his lungs as he started crying again. Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, his hands large and warm and solid, anchoring Kurt as he sobbed into Blaine's shoulder.

Carefully, Blaine stepped them into the living room, catching Burt's eye and nodding when Burt indicated he'd be upstairs. He coaxed Kurt onto the couch and held him close, his tongue brushing out over the marking almost automatically. He kept licking and petting Kurt until he started to relax, his breathing and heart rate steadying and snuggled into Blaine's chest like a greedy toddler.

"Why are you here?" he murmured, his eyes sore and swollen and drifting shut as Blaine's fingers wandered over his face lightly.

"I… It felt like my skin was crawling with nerves. I was hanging out with Nick, Jeff and Trent and I felt so sick. Jeff told me to go to you. I called your dad on the way so he could let me in. I just…" Blaine shrugged as he pressed a kiss to Kurt's marking. "I felt all wrong. I don't know how to explain it."

Kurt shuddered and let Blaine's fingers wipe away his tears. "I'm sorry."

"For what? It's not your fault. That's what I'm here for and it's probably lucky Jeff told me to go when he did so that I could get here before you called me this time." Blaine nuzzled his nose against Kurt's hair and breathed deeply. And then stiffened. "You smell."

"Gee, thanks," Kurt muttered, tilting his head to look up at Blaine. "I copped a lot of slushies today. It's probably the sugar and too much soap."

"No. You…" Blaine shook his head and sniffed again. "Kurt, what happened?"

"N-nothing," Kurt said, ducking his head down to avoid Blaine's gaze.

"Kurt."

"I just…I…I got thrown up against a locker by a jock. It was nothing, I promise."

"Kurt, stop lying," Blaine said, his voice low. "You have another scent on you. Why?"

Kurt trembled at the memories he'd been trying to block out, trying to forget about. It wasn't even that _bad_. Nothing had _happened_. Karofsky hadn't kissed him or raped him. He'd just…_he'd just gotten aroused_.

Kurt felt his stomach turn over and buried his face in Blaine's shirt. He could feel Blaine's hand running down his spine, his thumb pressing in to several joints and making the tension in his back unwind, but his thoughts were still crazy and he couldn't believe it. It hadn't happened. Karofsky didn't…he _didn't_…

"Kurt," Blaine said, the danger in his voice softening to care. "I just want to know. I'm not accusing you of anything. I can see you're scared. It wasn't something you actively wanted."

Kurt shut his eyes and murmured against Blaine's chest, "Someone…one of the guys at school…he had me against a locker and started showing feathers."

Blaine's posture went rigid as fury erupted in his blood. "You aren't going back to McKinley, do you hear me? Not alone. We'll collect your things tomorrow and you'll skip the rest of the week until the transfer is finalised."

"But-"

"Schoolwork and homework don't matter right now, Kurt. Your _safety_ is what matters." Blaine cradled Kurt's cheek and turned it so he could stare into Kurt's eyes. "And right now, I feel like my mate's safety is compromised and my first reaction is to protect at all costs. This time, it's simple. I just need to keep you safe, okay? I lo- I need you too much to let you go so quickly."

Kurt's lower lip wobbled as he lost himself in Blaine's gaze, so fiercely protective and desperate. "That's not really your first reaction."

Blaine cracked a tiny smile. "No, you're right. My first reaction is to hunt the guy down and rip him into tiny pieces, but that's still murder and what he did to you doesn't justify doing that to him unfortunately. So I'm settling for a close second."

Kurt nodded, biting on his lip. "You can…you can say it, you know. If you feel it. You don't have to cover it up."

Blaine's forehead creased in confusion for a moment before it cleared and he kissed Kurt's red nose. "I don't want to say it too fast and scare you or something."

"We're mates, Blaine. Not two teens that have been dating for four days." Kurt smiled shyly as his cheeks turned pink. "I mean, we know each other pretty thoroughly already."

Blaine adjusted Kurt's head, meeting him in a gentle kiss where their lips moved easily, like they'd been doing this for a decade rather than days. With a quiet sigh, he pressed another quick kiss to Kurt's lips. "I love you," he breathed, his fingers tightening with nerves.

Kurt smiled so wide his cheeks hurt and leaned up to kiss Blaine again and again. "I love you too," he whispered between kisses, gripping at Blaine's shirt and not wanting to ever stop kissing Blaine ever.

When he paused for breath, he cuddled into Blaine's chest and linked their fingers together. "Have you told your parents yet? Or Jason?"

Blaine rested his cheek against the top of Kurt's head. "No," he admitted. Kurt's thumb settled against his and squeezed gently. "Jase is in Vermont doing some sort of legal research or something, and my parents are in Yugoslavia or the Ukraine or one of those and barely reachable. I'll call Jason soon, I will. I promise. I've just been more wrapped up in you than the fact my parents should be informed of the addition to the family."

Kurt nodded, his eyes closing as he listened to the soft rush of air every time Blaine breathed. Emotionally spent, he wriggled his legs closer to Blaine and fell asleep to Blaine rubbing slow circles on the inside of his wrist.

Blaine knew when Kurt finally dozed off, because the rigidity in his spine eased a fraction. With a small smile, he held Kurt against him and continued the gentle movement of his thumb, channelling as much of his soothing presence as he could to keep Kurt calm. He let his own eyes close, controlling his breathing to try and avoid thinking of how he wanted to destroy the boy at Kurt's school who had hurt him. He had no right, _no _right, now that Kurt was marked to expose himself like that, and even less of a right to hold Kurt up like that in the first place, mated or not.

He heard the shuffling footsteps of Burt down the steps and opened his eyes as Burt entered the room. Burt smiled at Kurt so relaxed and asleep and quietly sat in his armchair.

"He's not going back to McKinley, is he?" Burt asked, his voice hushed.

"No way," Blaine said, firm but fierce as he tucked Kurt against him tighter. Kurt made a snuffling sort of whine that Blaine settled with slight pressure to Kurt's wrist. "He was more or less attacked at that school today. I refuse to let my mate into such an environment again."

Burt removed his cap and scratched his head. "Is it something that needs to be reported?"

"There's nothing that can be done. He didn't actually _do_ anything except reveal himself and perhaps threaten Kurt, but that's nothing that contravenes Lore or the actual law," Blaine frowned, pressing a kiss to Kurt's hair and hating that it still smelled a little of this other male. Kurt needed a shower and a scrub that would remove any and all trace scents of anyone else and only then might Blaine be satisfied that he'd reasserted himself as Kurt's other half.

Burt looked drawn and regretful. "Then I agree with you. He shouldn't be sent back to McKinley. I'll keep him here until Dalton finalises everything."

"Can I stay?" Blaine said, nosing through Kurt's hair and searching for the smell of Kurt's shampoo rather than this other jerk's grubby scent.

"You shouldn't miss school, Blaine," Burt said, lips pursed with disagreement.

"I know sir, but he's my mate. He's fragile and emotional and the thought of being two hours away and trying to concentrate on class… How could I possibly manage to focus? It's a maximum of three days. I can catch that up. They can make provisions for the fact that it's a fresh mating." The edge of his mouth turned up in a shy smile. "Besides, I'm pretty popular with the teachers. They won't mind, especially since all I keep getting asked in class is to pay more attention and stop daydreaming about my new mate anyway."

Burt snorted and tried to wipe the smile off his face and replace it with a gruff expression. "Your parents pay good money to send you there, Blaine. Money they expect goes towards your education."

"With all due respect sir, they might not have been wildly happy with me being gay at first, but even they wouldn't expect me to be at school when my mate is in trouble." He rubbed Kurt's wrist absently and glanced back at Burt. "Early in their mating, my father had an accident. My mother nearly screamed the hospital down around her in refusing to return to classes until he was considered stable enough and she could leave. Nowadays, they're rarely apart for more than a few hours at a time per week, completely content to stay together as much as possible."

Burt sighed and jammed his cap back on his head. "I just want my boy looked after."

Kurt shifted a little in Blaine's arms, a sleepy mumble passing his lips that sounded suspiciously like 'love Blaine'. Blaine couldn't help his grin and placed a kiss to the top of Kurt's forehead.

"I promise you, I'll take care of him," Blaine said honestly, his gaze unwavering from Burt's. "He'll be safe with me."

"I know he will," Burt said, leaning forward to climb out of his chair. "You're his mate. It's in your nature to protect him. And it's especially strong because of how he gets hurt at school and it's all so fresh." He pressed his hand lightly to Kurt's shoulder. "I'd hoped he wouldn't be too young, but I'm glad it happened when it did. I think he really needed someone like you in his life to stand beside him."

Blaine nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the pride in Burt's voice. "Thank you sir."

Burt gently ruffled the bits of Blaine's gelled hair that were ruff-able. "You're a good kid. Don't doubt that."

Burt didn't wait for a response, heading into the kitchen and moving around much quieter than he had the previous night as he prepared dinner. Blaine looked down at Kurt, his face serenely calm in sleep and felt the knot around his heart relax knowing his mate was safe and he practically had Burt's blessing.

"I love you," he whispered to a sleeping Kurt, closing his eyes and clutching Kurt against him as he started to nap until dinner time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I just love Burt and Blaine in this universe. I've really tried to make Blaine more confident and less oblivious, more protective of Kurt which allows Burt to relax. I kind of feel like parents are more relaxed when their children are mated because they know their children will be properly taken care of.

As always, I welcome any and all feedback and can't wait to hear your wonderfully supportive thoughts! xo


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,044  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Blaine discovered the following morning that when Kurt slept with his head pillowed against Blaine's chest, he purred in his sleep and his tail curled around their thighs. He grinned to himself at how relaxed Kurt had to be and stroked his fingers through Kurt's hair gently, the purring vibrating against his own chest and making him feel warm and content inside.<p>

Kurt slept another half an hour or so. Blaine had noticed the purring gradually quieten and Kurt wriggled a little more in his sleep, until he finally yawned widely and blinked his eyes open, his eyelashes tickling Blaine's chest.

"Morning," Blaine murmured, stroking his fingers over Kurt's face. Kurt smiled sleepily and stretched, looking very much like a cat in a human body right now. "How are you feeling?"

Kurt kissed Blaine's chest and thumbed over Blaine's bicep. "Very refreshed," he admitted, wiggling up Blaine's body and kissing beneath his ear.

Blaine turned his head to nuzzle Kurt's face up, ignoring any concern about his breath to press their lips together. He reached out to cup Kurt's cheek and kissed softly from Kurt's nose to his forehead. "I love you."

Kurt's cheeks turned pink. "I love you too," he replied shyly but happily.

Blaine breathed against Kurt's hair and then cringed away. "I know you were too tired last night but can you shower now? I hate that there's another scent on you and I can still smell it."

Kurt nodded, pulling Blaine out of the bed and towards the bathroom. He turned the taps of the shower on and started removing his clothes as Blaine did, quietly touching the skin around Blaine's hips as he nipped at Blaine's neck.

Blaine whimpered, his hands curling around Kurt's wrists and shuddering. "Kurt," he said, voice low and eyes dark when he met Kurt's.

Kurt smiled impishly and jumped into the shower, spinning under the spray, the water running all over his pale skin. Blaine bit back a groan as he stepped in after him, closing the glass door and tugging Kurt to his body to lick over the marking behind his ear.

"Mine," he whispered, the 'B' glimmering golden against Kurt's skin.

Kurt threaded his fingers into Blaine's curls and snuggled close. "Yours," he agreed.

They did a sort of slow-dance beneath the water, turning gradually and soaking their hair but just enjoying the heat beating against their skin and soft touches that were more about adoration.

"Can I wash you clean?" Blaine murmured into Kurt's ear eventually, his fingers gliding over the slick skin of Kurt's hip.

With a nod, Kurt passed his shampoo into Blaine's hands. "Should I…um…should I kneel?"

Blaine licked his lips and Kurt smirked at his expression before carefully getting to his knees, facing away from the water, facing away from Blaine. He squirted some of the gel stuff into his hands and started massaging it through Kurt's hair, firm and determined to rid him of another's scent. Kurt made breathy noises of happiness as Blaine built the bubbles into his hair, until Blaine started giggling childishly and styling Kurt's hair into stupid shapes like a Mohawk and a silly looking comb-over.

Kurt growled and shook his hair out, leaning back into the spray and letting the shampoo dribble over Blaine's feet, making it slippery to move. Blaine watched, helping rinse out patches he saw Kurt had missed and feeling like this was so incredibly domestic and yet loving it, knowing that he was removing a trigger for him to become a monster of jealous rage and rip the guy apart. Kurt encouraged him to spread the conditioner through his hair as well and his mind wandered as he scraped his nails over Kurt's scalp. He knew that when Kurt went to clean out his locker tomorrow afternoon he would accompany Kurt to McKinley to keep an eye on his safety. It would be after school and Glee club would be rehearsing so Kurt thought he'd take the opportunity to say a final farewell before he transferred, but there was a part of him that was anxious at Kurt being there again, being in a place that he'd been bailed up and almost hurt, and he hated it.

Kurt rose to his feet, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and kissing him, jarring him from his thoughts as his hands found Kurt's hips and gripped him close.

"Don't think so hard," Kurt teased when he pulled away, tilting his head under the water and washing the conditioner out.

"Not even if it's about you?" Blaine asked, sliding his hands down Kurt's spine to the small of his back, the darkened smudge at his tailbone making Blaine smile.

"Hmm…" Kurt twisted under the water and grabbed for Blaine to come back into his arms. "I don't know. I suppose the fact it was about me helps."

Blaine nibbled at Kurt's jaw. "Who else would I think about when you're here and in the shower and naked?"

Kurt blushed and glanced away. "Well, I'd certainly _hope_ it wasn't anyone else…"

Blaine laughed and pushed Kurt gently into the wall, bodies pressed slickly together. "Never anyone else," he exhaled over Kurt's ear as a shudder ran down Kurt's spine and he felt himself reacting to Blaine's arousal that floated in the air around them.

"That's good then," Kurt breathed, scratching at Blaine's back and slinging a leg over Blaine's waist. With a muffled groan, Blaine picked up his other leg, wobbling only slightly as he shoved Kurt into the shower wall harder, the head of his cock barely touching Kurt's entrance. Kurt's breath caught as he clung to Blaine's neck, pleas escaping his mouth as Blaine bit over his throat.

"Blaine…_Blaine_…"

Blaine let him slide down the wall slightly, entering Kurt swiftly and easily, a guttural moan erupting from both of them. With a look of uncertainty, Blaine pressed Kurt into the wall firmly and thrust into him roughly. Kurt shrieked with pleasure and moved his hips up to meet Blaine's movements, his balls grinding against Blaine's stomach.

"Fuck, fuck," Kurt panted, gripping tighter and leaning his head forward to find Blaine's mark and lick all over it. Blaine growled, the hair of his chest thickening as Kurt pressed kitten-like licks repeatedly over the marking.

"Shit Kurt, shit, I…I…" His thrusts turned jerky before he came, his thighs burning and struggling to stay upright as he slipped a hand between them and pumped Kurt four times before Kurt came with a scream, spilling over their stomachs in milky white strings of come.

Gingerly, Blaine sank down to sit down against the wall, Kurt snuggling into his lap and rocking his hips a little with a delighted purr at feeling Blaine still knotted with him.

"K-Kurt," Blaine choked out, his fingers digging into Kurt's hips almost painfully.

"Love you," Kurt murmured, continuing to roll his hips rhythmically. Blaine whined at feeling himself getting hard again to soon but Kurt was relentless and yet slow, careful and only moving shallowly. Kurt mouthed over the 'K' behind Blaine's ear and Blaine jerked in surprise and Kurt hissed with pleasure, leaning back and down to let Blaine's cock drag over his prostate.

"Oh fuck, Kurt," Blaine murmured, eyes hooded when he met Kurt's dark gaze and knew they were going to come again before he'd even pulled free of Kurt, knew that Kurt was just biding his time until Blaine would react fully again to each touch, each gasp, each press of Kurt's body against Blaine's.

Kurt worked him agonisingly slowly on the shower floor, the water hot and pinking Kurt's pale skin until Blaine gave a grunt of desperation and Kurt grinned cheekily.

"I love you," he said again, the words sounding so foreign and yet so beautiful on his tongue.

Blaine smiled and tugged Kurt a little closer and bounced upwards. "Love you too but I'd love you more if I could come again before I go mad with need."

Giggling, Kurt raised himself up before dropping back down, groaning and arching his back, the tip of his dick digging into Blaine's stomach. Entranced, Blaine let Kurt fuck himself until they were both on edge, taking more stimulation to come a second time so close after the first. Blaine tangled his fingers with Kurt's and together they fisted Kurt's erection until Kurt was breathless, his eyes closed and his free hand pressing painfully sharp nails into Blaine's thigh. It should have hurt, but somehow it heightened his desire and he pulled at a tuft of fur on Kurt's hip.

Kurt was literally _wailing_ as he came, the pressure clamping down so tightly on Blaine that his eyes lolled in his head and he saw stars, white noise roaring in his ears as he said Kurt's name over and over. Perhaps mixed in with a few choice expletives. Perhaps.

When Kurt's eyes flickered open, they were a pure, bright blue, clear and blissful with a flush high on his cheeks. His skin glittered with water and sweat and come and his hair was spread damply over his face and Blaine thought he was one of the hottest fucking things he'd ever seen. He cradled Kurt's cheeks to pull him in for a kiss, their mouths meeting wetly as Blaine's tongue pressed against Kurt's.

He'd been within Kurt for so long that he almost decided he didn't care about propriety, he just wanted to stay where he was. But Kurt could feel him, able to read what the knotting felt like and he wiggled free with a soft whimper of loss and snuggled into Blaine's chest to get closer to him again.

"Love you, love _you_," Kurt said resolutely.

"Good," Blaine said, burying his nose in Kurt's hair and was glad that any scent that had existed there before was thoroughly replaced by his own and the smell of Kurt's hair products.

When the water started to turn cold, Kurt whined with distaste and flailed slightly to shut the water off. Shivering with the loss of the heat, he staggered to his feet and pulled Blaine up, wrapping himself in a dry, fluffy towel and handing one to Blaine.

They dressed without words, Kurt finding clothes that would fit Blaine and smiling delightedly when they fit. He laced his fingers with Blaine's, kissing him softly. "Breakfast time?"

Blaine's stomach gave a rumble of approval and Kurt snickered, leading him upstairs to the empty house.

* * *

><p>Kurt's anxiety rolled off him in waves as he pursed his lips and stared at the front of the school.<p>

"We don't _have_ to clear out your locker," Blaine said for the third time in five minutes.

"I do. There are things I want in there."

Blaine reached for his wrist, gently rubbing circles until Kurt's thumping heartbeat slowed and he sucked in a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this over with."

Kurt locked the car and stepped close to Blaine, linking their hands and entering the building. It was quiet, students having left half an hour ago when the final bell rang. He led Blaine through the corridors, pointing random things out until he reached the choir room where Rachel was babbling something about Sectionals while standing next to Schue.

"That's Rachel," Kurt said, knocking on the door and pushing it open.

Blaine trailed in behind Kurt, his eyes roving over the occupants of the room quickly. He could tell who Tina and Mike were from their close proximity and tried to put names to faces from Kurt's brief descriptions of his Glee club members.

"Classy. You brought the enemy with you this time," Rachel said loudly, breaking into Blaine's thoughts.

"I _thought_ it might be appreciated if I introduced him," Kurt said, the tension in his voice making Blaine squeeze his hand. "But if you care so little, I'll say my final farewell and be out of your hair."

"Kurt, no," Artie called and Kurt looked at him. "You can't just…you can't just _leave_ that abruptly. You were one of the original members."

Kurt sighed and stepped further into the room, Blaine shuffling behind him like a shadow. "I realise this was never in my plans when I joined Glee club last year, but…things have changed," he said softly. "I can no longer stay here for several reasons and Blaine can't transfer here. We've had this discussion."

Mike was the one who moved first, hopping down the steps and extending his hand to Blaine. "Mike," he introduced.

Blaine grinned, shaking his hand as Tina stepped up and offered a hug to Blaine. He accepted, glad that Kurt had at least these two looking out for him on Monday when the argument had broken out.

"How long have you been mated?" he asked them when Tina moved to stand beside Mike.

"Nearly five months," Mike said, kissing the top of Tina's hair. Kurt squeezed their hands together, drawing comfort and security from the touch.

Blaine looked over at the other members of the club, who looked unsure what to do. Puck glowered at the rest of Glee and walked over to bump his fist with Blaine's.

"You look out for him or I break your leg, alright?" Puck said seriously.

"Puck!" Kurt admonished.

"If I don't look after him properly, I'll break my own leg," Blaine promised.

Puck grinned. "I like you."

"Thanks?" Blaine blinked.

Finn and Rachel stayed back, their gazes wary and distrustful, but slowly the other people in the group walked over to greet Blaine. Santana threw a few sultry stares and her skin darkened a little until Kurt hissed at her and she shot him an amused glance.

"Only riling you up," she said, linking her pinkie with Brittany's.

Kurt openly glared at her. "Hey, why don't you go clear out your locker while I make sure your friends trust me?" Blaine interrupted, kissing Kurt's cheek.

Kurt's glare softened as he looked at Blaine. "Are you sure you don't mind being with the wolves?"

Blaine gazed over the group. "None of you are wolves, right?"

"Not that I'm aware," Kurt said quietly.

"I'm a lion," Quinn shrugged, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, but Kurt specified wolves. I can handle a lion," he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I won't be long," Kurt said, kissing Blaine's forehead. "Play nice."

"Always," Blaine grinned as Kurt turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as Kurt left, Blaine was mobbed by questions and demands. Feeling like he was in a rowdy Warbler rehearsal with no Wes and his trusty gavel, he took a seat and patiently answered all the questions thrown at him.

Meanwhile Kurt wandered the silent hallways, feeling at least a little sad that he was leaving it behind. He knew Dalton would be better and it had Blaine and it was safer, but McKinley had still felt like some sort of home and he _was_ going to miss performing in New Directions, one way or another. He hummed beneath his breath as he entered the corridor leading to his locker and scowled at the graffiti that had been written on it in the two days he'd been away. That was his real reason for trying to shake Blaine for ten minutes. He hadn't wanted Blaine to see, well, _this_.

It was covered in smears of marker, words like _Fag _and _Homo _and _Freak_ written several times. There were others too and his eyes prickled with tears as he twisted the padlock until it snapped open. He sighed at the pictures covering the inside, pulling them down carefully and tucking them into the cover of one of his exercise books to protect them from getting crushed.

He cried out in pain, dropping to the floor and his exercise book falling with a slap as he slammed into his locker unexpectedly. The metal had pressed into his stomach and he was temporarily winded as his eyes tracked upwards while his stomach fell.

"Leaving so soon?" Karofsky sneered, grabbing beneath his arms and shoving him into the locker beside Kurt's with a clatter. "It was just starting to get interesting."

"Let me _go_," Kurt whimpered, flailing his arms and doing little to no damage to Karofsky's physique which was far stronger than Kurt's.

"Or what? You'll cry like a baby?" He pressed his thigh across Kurt's legs, effectively stopping him from kicking out like he'd done on Tuesday. "Now now, Kurt. You know that pleading won't get you anywhere with me or I'd have stopped tipping slushies over your head already."

"Then what do you _want_?" Kurt snapped, trying to swallow the terror that felt so overwhelming.

"I thought that would have been obvious," Karofsky frowned. Kurt watched, horrified once again, as fucking black _feathers _started to emerge along Karofsky's skin. "_You_."

"I'm _mated_," Kurt hissed. "You missed your chance and I wouldn't be interested in someone like you. You're not my type!"

Karofsky shrugged and his lack of concern made Kurt feel even more terrified of the situation.

"What…what _are_ you?" he asked, trying to distract Karofsky. Blaine was in the school. Blaine would know. Blaine would find him.

Karofsky blinked and then seemed to notice the feathers along his arm and laughed. "A swan. Real fucking masculine, huh?"

Kurt felt sick at how dark Karofsky's eyes were, which were close, too close, and then their lips met and Karofsky tasted sour and bitter and his mind was shouting at him to do_something_ and the only thing he could do was bite down, hard.

Karofsky shouted in pain as Kurt pierced the skin, blood dripping down his chin. "The fuck did you do that for?"

"I don't _want_ you!" Kurt shrieked, fighting Karofsky until Karofsky's hands wound around his neck and squeezed, squeezed too tightly, and he was gasping for air and trying to whack the hands away.

He could feel himself getting dizzy and hear a faint ringing in his ears as the blood pounded. The mark behind his ear burned white-hot with pain and he scrabbled desperately for to get the jock away from him, but Karofsky was stronger, his look fierce and enraged, and Kurt's eyes flickered shut as he struggled for oxygen, his vision blackening…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I was exceedingly disappointed that FF went down and I couldn't get reviews for the previous chapter, so I'm going to hope that everyone enjoyed it and is still reading. Review now to make up for it?

As for the swan hybrid - in doing research, I came across one website that said swans often raped their partners. Most websites agree that swans are some of the most violent and vicious animals around. I had some fantastic suggestions and ideas for what Dave could be, but I always knew it was going to be something far more nasty.

And now that I've left you with a cliffhanger, which I try to avoid doing, I'm going to move to an island and hide so I can avoid being pelted with hatred. Surely I wouldn't kill off Kurt...

...Would I?


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 2,955  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't <em>want_ you!" Kurt shrieked, fighting Karofsky until Karofsky's hands wound around his neck and squeezed, squeezed too tightly, and he was gasping for air and trying to whack the hands away._

_He could feel himself getting dizzy and hear a faint ringing in his ears as the blood pounded. The mark behind his ear burned white-hot with pain and he scrabbled desperately for to get the jock away from him, but Karofsky was stronger, his look fierce and enraged, and Kurt's eyes flickered shut as he struggled for oxygen, his vision blackening…_

And then he was gone and Kurt fell to the floor, his head smacking onto the concrete dully. He whimpered softly, desperately trying to suck in air as Tina crouched beside him and propped his head up in her lap.

"Stop it!" Rachel screamed, her voice so shrill and piercing that Blaine paused for a split second. Mike grabbed at Blaine's arms and pulled him away before he continued punching Karofsky's face into an unrecognisable mess.

Blaine kicked his feet out, landing a solid kick to Karofsky's side. "I want to _kill_ you," Blaine snarled, his eyes blown wide with rage as Mike tightened his grip on Blaine's arms and held him steady. "You fucking come near my mate again and I _will_ hurt you and I'll be within my Lore rights to do so, do you fucking hear me?"

Karofsky groaned quietly on the floor and Will hurriedly got Puck and Finn to haul him to his feet and lead him towards Figgins' office. They'd all seen him trying to strangle Kurt. Blaine had defended Kurt as much as he could until Rachel had startled him away. There was no way Karofsky would get out of this one and he'd have charges to face with the police.

Blaine was still itching for a fight, his fury out of control as his eyes tracked Karofsky down the corridor.

"_Blaine_," Quinn said softly, touching his arm. He flinched and she stepped back, bowing her head and subtly pointing at Kurt.

Kurt was shaking so badly he felt like he was having a seizure. He couldn't think through the panic and either his heart was going to beat out of his chest or he was going to throw up. A whine started in his throat when he saw Blaine so close but looking away from him, until Blaine turned and seemed to register the distress Kurt was feeling.

Tina crawled back quickly and stood with Mike's help as Blaine fell to Kurt and yanked him into his lap, growling lowly at the scent that was all over Kurt and almost frantically licking the marking behind Kurt's ear.

"Back to the choir room, _now_," Quinn ordered, her voice strong as she shooed everyone away. With a last look at the two boys huddled on the floor, she fell into step beside Santana and Brittany.

Kurt's whine softened as Blaine pawed at Kurt's body and licked at Kurt's neck which was showing faint, fingerprint-shaped bruises. A ripple of anger flooded his senses until he was clenching his hands painfully into Kurt's hips and Kurt yelped.

"Sorry," Blaine muttered, his voice gravelly as he loosened his grip and kissed Kurt, cringing at the unfamiliar taste on his lips and determined to replace it with his own, _needing_ to replace it with his own. He could feel Kurt relaxing, curling into his body and his vigorous efforts at reassuring himself that Kurt was okay and alive started to abate. He kept nuzzling the marking though, glad that the tinge of blackness around the edges had cleared back to a golden honey colour.

He cradled Kurt against his chest, rocking him slowly and hating that he stank so awfully of another person but trying not to let it bother him, because he just _needed _Kurt's so close and if he wasn't in the middle of a school hall and Kurt hadn't just been assaulted, he probably would have tried to reassert his mateship with Kurt.

Kurt wound his hand around Blaine's forearm and soothed him with the press of his thumb into Blaine's wrist, steady and unyielding. Blaine practically melted into the simple touch, a hum passing his lips that might almost have been content.

"I love you," he breathed, kissing Kurt's cheeks. "I love you and I'm not leaving you alone ever again in this school. Ever. I'm with you, always, okay? I don't want it to be too much but I just can't handle it."

Kurt nodded, snuggling his head beneath Blaine's chin and listening to his heart and his breathing. "Thank you."

Blaine grunted and held him tighter. "I don't want to say you're welcome because it should _not_ have been necessary to tear someone off you like that."

Kurt shivered and slipped his hand down to lace with Blaine's.

"Seeing you like that…" Blaine shook his head and tried to pull Kurt closer. "I'm not sure anyone wants to see their mate having the life choked out of them."

A tear dripped down Kurt's cheek and he squeezed Blaine's hand, his thumb brushing at the knuckles of Blaine's index finger.

"I felt so sick. I was in the choir room and it was like everything went cold, like on Tuesday, only a hundred times worse. I knew I had to get to you, but I didn't know where your locker was and I just started running and they were trying to tell me where to go and then I saw him and you and…" Blaine choked on his breath as the tears fell into Kurt's hair. "I was so furious and so scared and all I could think of was _get him away, get him away_."

"And you did," Kurt said softly, raising their joined hands and kissing the back of Blaine's hand. "I'm okay. I'll be a little sore and bruised and shaken, but I'm okay."

Blaine fell silent, rocking them back and forth for a while until Kurt's leg started to go numb.

"I think maybe we should head home, okay?" Kurt said, tilting his head to kiss the pulse point in Blaine's neck. "I'll grab my things and we'll stay together and go home and shower and just lay on my bed tonight. Maybe I can encourage dad to go to Carole's so we have the space to be safe."

Blaine nodded slowly, stretching out his legs and letting the circulation return in Kurt's until Kurt struggled to his feet and gathered up his scattered exercise book. Their hands may as well have been stuck together with glue because Blaine refused to let go as Kurt created a small pile of his things and shut the locker.

Blaine scowled at the horrible slurs covering the metal. "Kurt-"

"Don't," Kurt interrupted, turning away from the defaced metal. "Let's go."

Blaine bit his lip but let Kurt lead them out of the school where a police car was parked and unoccupied. Blaine assumed they were inside dealing with the attack. Kurt fumbled with his keys and Blaine removed them from Kurt's hands.

"Let me drive," he said, squeezing Kurt's hand and letting it drop for the first time so they could get into the car.

The ride to Kurt's was silent but not uncomfortable, their hands having linked again the minute they were settled in the car. Blaine pulled into Kurt's driveway and gazed at Burt's truck which was parked there. He tilted Kurt's neck, definite bruises appearing along his throat and he scowled.

"I'll kill him next time," Blaine swore, climbing out of the car and tucking Kurt into his side as they entered the house.

"Hey! You're home. I was wondering- What _happened_?" Burt said, glancing between the two of them rapidly.

"Blaine, I can't," Kurt whimpered, staring at his feet.

Blaine squished him closer. "Go take a shower. I'll be down after I talk to your dad, okay?"

Kurt nodded and avoided his father's gaze as he headed for his room.

"I'm not repeating myself," Burt said shortly.

Blaine removed his shoes and deposited them neatly by the shoe rack. "I'm assuming, no, I _know_ the boy that attacked him on Tuesday attacked him again today. I recognise the scent." He closed his eyes and felt his stomach turn over at the images replaying themselves there. "I don't really know what happened before I arrived, just that I felt icy cold and needed to find Kurt. When I did, he…this guy, he had his hands around Kurt's throat…"

Burt's face was scarlet with rage as he turned and punched a hole into the wall. "Who was he? I'll tear him apart."

Blaine shook his head. "Lore won't protect you, it only protects mates. And I did a little redecoration to his face but was stopped from actually killing him by Kurt's particularly squealy friend, Rachel. You know you can't kill him, sir."

"I don't care!" Burt roared, and Blaine stepped back out of fright. "He doesn't hurt my son and get away with it! Forget Lore, I'll deal with the criminal law and kill the bastard!"

"_No_," Blaine said firmly. "Kurt needs you. He needs you because he doesn't have his mom and he's scared and he's changing schools and he _needs_ you."

Burt's features softened a little. "I just want to make him pay."

"So do I," Blaine agreed, swallowing and clenching and relaxing his fists by his sides. "But Kurt will be safe at Dalton. I have friends who can make sure of it."

Burt huffed, still angry but relaxing. "Fine, fine. Do you want the house to yourselves tonight?"

Blaine shifted on his feet, suddenly nervous. "If you wouldn't mind. I just want to feel secure knowing where he is and that no one else around can hurt him."

"You don't need to apologise to me, son," Burt said quietly, touching Blaine's shoulder. "I'll clear out in fifteen minutes and go stay with Carole."

"Thank you," Blaine whispered.

Burt nodded and headed up the stairs with thumping steps.

Blaine hurried down to Kurt's bedroom where the shower was still running. He stripped out of his sweater and jeans as he strode across the bedroom and crowded in behind Kurt, who was silently crying beneath the spray.

"It's okay, you're safe," Blaine murmured, holding Kurt against his body and stroking down his spine. "I'm here. It's okay now."

It took nearly ten minutes until Kurt started to settle, clinging to Blaine's soaked t-shirt, which was actually Kurt's tee since Blaine hadn't returned to Dalton since Tuesday.

"You got my shirt wet," Kurt mumbled grumpily.

Blaine snorted and pulled the shirt over his head and then wiggled out of the boxers he'd been wearing, dropping them just outside the shower door. "I was kind of more desperate to hold you in my arms than care about my, or your, clothing taking part in the shower with us."

Kurt hummed softly in agreement and Blaine found himself kissing and nipping at Kurt's jaw, leading to his ear and placing the flat of his tongue over the marking. Kurt shivered, his fingers curling into Blaine's shoulder blades.

"Can we go and snuggle on the bed now?" Kurt asked.

Blaine sniffed at his hair and down his neck. "Yeah, you don't smell of _him_ now. Come on."

He stepped out of the shower first, holding Kurt's towel open for him and cuddling him into a hug before getting his own off the rack and drying himself down. His hand found Kurt's and he led him to the bed, the pair of them discarding their towels by the edge and climbing on together.

Kurt laid down on his back as Blaine moved to hover above him, carding his fingers through Kurt's damp strands of hair as he slotted their bodies together and covered as much of Kurt's skin with his own as he could. It seemed strange that with Blaine's weight on top of him, Kurt felt like he could finally _breathe_ again, but it was true, and he wound his arms tightly around Blaine's back to anchor them together. Blaine nosed at his neck occasionally, licking and kissing over the bruises.

"I'm so grateful I found you," Kurt whispered, tears shimmering in his eyes as he threaded his hands into Blaine's wet curls. "You…you literally saved my life, Blaine. Thank you."

Blaine shook his head and kissed Kurt softly. "You would have done the same for me. It's instinct. It just happened to be you in danger today."

Kurt shrugged one of his shoulders and looped curls around his fingers. "I'm still grateful for you. You can't change my opinion on that."

"I wouldn't ever try to," Blaine assured, rubbing his nose against Kurt's, who giggled.

"Eskimo kisses!" he grinned, bumping their noses together again.

Blaine leaned down and covered Kurt's mouth with his own, tongue slipping out to swipe at Kurt's lower lip. "_Real_ kisses," he grinned back with a wink.

"Mmm…" Kurt frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "I think I like real kisses better."

Blaine laughed and poked his tongue out to tickle at Kurt's lips, groaning when Kurt's tongue touched his and they kissed again and again until he was breathless and panting.

"I love you," he said, reaching up to kiss Kurt's forehead.

Kurt smiled. "Love you too."

Blaine carefully rolled them over, holding Kurt against his chest until Kurt wriggled down and pillowed his head against Blaine's shoulder.

"Can we just stay like this?" Kurt murmured.

Blaine's thumbs pressed into the back of Kurt's neck and he immediately erupted into a quiet purr. "All I plan on doing is lavishing you with gentle touches that keep you calm."

Kurt snuggled his face into Blaine's chest, continuing to purr happily as Blaine kneaded slowly down his spine until he drifted into a surprisingly relaxed sleep.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke at some ungodly early hour of the morning at his stomach gurgling with the need for food. He felt a stab of pain and whimpered at how hungry he was. He nuzzled Blaine's chest and climbed free of Blaine's arms, grabbing a pair of boxers and stepping into them as he headed upstairs.<p>

He didn't feel especially fancy at three thirty in the morning, moving quietly around and making a plain sandwich with some of the cold meat left in the fridge.

"Hey," Blaine murmured. He jumped as Blaine's arms slid around his hips and settled against his stomach. "You left."

"I was hungry," Kurt explained, holding up his sandwich.

"Me too actually," Blaine admitted, kissing the mark behind Kurt's ear briefly and then easing away to make his own sandwich. Kurt watched quietly as he chewed, glad that Blaine was just _here_ and could protect him. Blaine smiled and kissed his cheek as he started munching on his own sandwich. Kurt was barely even aware of their fingers tangling together until Blaine squeezed his hand and he broke away from whatever world he'd lost himself in thinking.

Silently, they put things back in the fridge or disposed of rubbish into the bin until the kitchen was spotless and Blaine was pulling Kurt downstairs to his room.

"I love you," Blaine breathed as he looped his arms around Kurt and rubbed his nose along the shell of Kurt's ear.

Kurt sat on the edge of the bed and Blaine sat in his lap, kissing lightly over his face. "I love you too," he replied, closing his eyes and relishing in the touches of Blaine's lips on his skin.

"I need…" Blaine frowned and bit down on his lip. "Can you lay back against the pillows?"

Kurt opened one eye and raised his eyebrow, but Blaine was gently pushing him until his head found the pillows.

"This might hurt a little," Blaine mumbled as he inched down to Kurt's throat and started sucking at the bruises from Karofsky's fingers.

Kurt whimpered, because the skin was already bruised and sensitive but Blaine was unrelenting, replacing each finger-shaped bruise with hickeys until his neck was sufficiently decorated in purpled marks and Blaine stroked his fingertips over the new marks.

"Much better," Blaine decided with a satisfied nod. "Now it just looks like I've been touching you."

"I wish I was stronger and could have gotten rid of him. I _told_ him I didn't want him. I _told_ him I was mated and marked," Kurt whispered, tears welling in his eyes.

"Shhh…" Blaine cradled Kurt's cheeks in his hands and kissed Kurt's forehead repeatedly. "I know. I know you would have told him. But he's a jerk and he…he wanted to hurt you. If he couldn't have you, no one else could."

Kurt sniffed as Blaine kissed him and pressed their bodies together. He was almost surprised that neither of them were especially turned on but felt too emotional to care as he curled his arms around Blaine's body and clung to his back. Blaine might have been an inch or two shorter, but he was so much stronger, so much leaner, and Kurt felt soothed by the lining up of their bodies as Blaine's fingers drifted through Kurt's hair.

"I love you, and I will _always_ keep you safe," Blaine assured as Kurt's eyelids became too heavy to stay open. Blaine wriggled to the side and tucked Kurt against him, licking achingly slowly over the marking and sending Kurt into a fit of exhaustion that surrounded him and swallowed him until he was asleep. Blaine kissed the mark again and nosed at Kurt's hair, inhaling deeply and calming because there was no other scent but their own. "I love you," he said quietly, closing his eyes and easing into a world of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I mean _really_, killing Kurt off? Pssh. As much as I'd love to wrap this story up and devote myself to other things, I can't read death fics where one of them dies young because I want them to live forever and be cute always and just _guh_. Silly, silly readers and your fretting over Kurt! :)

I apologise for the delay but really, it's Fanfiction's fault because it decided to have a login failure again!

The next chapter is jampacked full of Lore, some of Blaine and Kurt's backstory, some sexing, and lots of snuggles! I'm anticipating Blaine's brother around Chapter 10 or 11, and his parents in 12/13 along with Dalton. While we may have the name of Blaine's brother known, I'm leaving it as Jason for continuity purposes and not having to go back to edit chapters and possibly missing a detail, so Jason will remain the name of Blaine's brother in this fic :)

As always, I welcome your thoughts and words. I'm still working out Lore and would love love love to hear what else you believe might be involved in it, because the discussion of Lore next chapter was a good four chapters early, so now I'm floundering a little trying to figure out what else is there that you're interested in knowing. What questions do you still have? What things remain unclear? Which characters would you like to see more of, or mate? Lemme know my lovelies! xo


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 4,061  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke to his phone vibrating with a clatter across the bedside table. With a muffled groan, Blaine relaxed his arms enough that Kurt could reach over and squint at the message.<p>

"Reminder that it's Friday night dinner and Finn and Rachel are coming," he frowned, tapping at the keys of his iPhone to send a message back to his father.

"Finn and Rachel?" Blaine rolled over and buried his head in the pillow and moaned into it.

"C'mon. Finn's going to be my stepbrother soon enough. Dad and Carole mightn't be able to mate again but that doesn't mean they aren't in love and willing to settle down. Rachel is Finn's other half, and yeah, she's annoying and isn't sure what to make of you or me right now but we have to put up with it."

Kurt dropped his phone beside the bed and snuggled up to Blaine's back, licking softly between the muscles of Blaine's shoulder blades.

Blaine turned his head to the side, his smile bright as his eyes met Kurt's, the marking behind his left ear sparkling. "I love you," he murmured.

Kurt wriggled until he was straddling the small of Blaine's back and gently pressed his thumbs in to where he'd previously been licking. Blaine breathed out slowly, his eyes closing as he hummed with contentment. Kurt kept rubbing, delighting in the gradual unfurling of Blaine's tail from the small of his back and giggling when the tip of it tickled his face. His fingers roamed over Blaine's spine as he slid down onto Blaine's thighs, pinching at Blaine's squishy butt over his boxers.

"Kurt!" Blaine yelped, fingers clenching into the pillow he was laying on. "_Ow_."

Kurt laughed and kneaded the spot until Blaine was panting, his lower back scattered with dark curls and his tail wagging with happiness. He pushed the tail out of the way, leaning down to cover Blaine's back with his chest and nibbled the shell of Blaine's ear.

"Can I…?"

Blaine inhaled sharply, the eye not pressed into the pillow flying open to stare at Kurt's. "Are you… I mean, I don't… After yesterday…"

Kurt bit at his lip before darting his tongue out to slide over the marking behind Blaine's ear. Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and whined loudly.

"If you don't want to…" Kurt mumbled, his hand stroking through the curls covering Blaine's other shoulder.

"N-no Kurt, no, please…_please_…" Blaine begged.

Kurt smiled shyly, reaching to his other bedside table and retrieving a bottle of lube from the drawer. Blaine whimpered, his hands hooking into his boxers – Kurt's boxers – and pulling them off haphazardly as he spread his legs for Kurt to settle between. Kurt chewed his lip as he spread lube over his index and middle finger, circling Blaine's entrance lightly as his anxiety swirled in his stomach.

"Kurt," Blaine said softly, catching Kurt's left wrist awkwardly and rubbing his thumb into it. "You don't have to do this."

"I know but I…" Kurt exhaled slightly shakily. "I want to. I_ need_ to. I need…I need to feel in control for a little while."

Blaine wiggled until his knees were beneath his chest and tugged Kurt closer, his grip switching to Kurt's other hand, the one that had lube on his fingers, and encouraging him to touch again.

"I love you," Blaine said, his tail twitching to brush past Kurt's cheek.

Nodding and still feeling nervous, he pushed his middle finger in. Blaine moaned, low and growly as his face buried itself in the pillow beneath him. The curls on Blaine's back shivered and Kurt watched, nearly entranced, as his finger seemed to move easily in and out until Blaine started pleading for a second, which he hastily added.

"Oh _fuck_," Blaine grunted and Kurt froze, fearful he'd done something wrong. "No no no, why aren't you _moving_? Move, _please_."

Blushing, Kurt crooked his fingers and dragged them backwards and Blaine gave a shout, his shoulders trembling.

"I'm sorry! I don't know-"

"Shut _up_, that is a fucking _good_ shout," Blaine interrupted, rolling his ass backwards and shuddering with a whine.

Kurt's jaw became slightly unhinged as he watched, dribbling more lube onto his fingers and teasing Blaine's entrance with a third finger.

"_Yessss_," Blaine hissed and Kurt could feel the heat of his blush travelling down his chest as he carefully worked another finger in. Blaine was growling roughly and Kurt shimmied out of his boxers, twisting his wrist as he squeezed some the lubricant onto his erection.

"_Kuuuuuuuuurt_," Blaine whined, fingers tightly gripping the pillow.

Kurt gave a little huff. "You're so bossy," he muttered, easing his fingers free until Blaine gave a quiet sob at how empty he felt, a needy whine starting up again in the back of his throat.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt positioned the head of his cock at Blaine's entrance, anxiety drenching him like a slushie. What if it hurt? What if Blaine changed his mind?

"Please, please, _please_," Blaine begged, pressing backwards until the tip breached him, and he faltered with a grunt.

"I'm so-"

"_Kurt_," Blaine snapped, almost harshly. "You should know how good this feels. You _should_, so will you please stop apologising and let me feel fucking enthralled and just fuck me already?"

Swallowing nervously, Kurt inched inside until his body hovered above Blaine's and he could kiss the back of Blaine's neck. It was the most delicious torture, the pressure and the heat making Kurt's head spin. Licking lightly, his tongue touched Blaine's mark at his ear.

"_Fuck_," Blaine said, his legs sliding from beneath him as he tried to raise himself up. "Kurt…_please_…"

"Shh…" Kurt hushed, his hand pressing into Blaine's stomach as he rocked his hips and allowed Blaine to adjust until his soft gasps of pain turned into pleasure. Blaine started to roll backwards, trying to sheathe Kurt deeper and feeling the soft slap of Kurt's balls against his own.

"Oh God, _faster_," Blaine groaned, his tail tangling with Kurt's and pulling him faster and closer whether he wanted to or not.

Kurt held onto Blaine's hips, still afraid of hurting him and yet enjoying it, all of it, as his clawed-nails dug into Blaine's skin. Blaine hissed a little and pushed himself back with his arms until he was practically sitting in Kurt's lap.

Kurt's hips and knees bent awkwardly under him but when Blaine began bouncing in his lap, his hand grabbing for Kurt's to pump at his cock, Kurt found the swollen head fascinating and his thumb paused at the tip. Over Blaine's shoulder, he could see it was darker and he shifted just enough until he could scrape his teeth over the marking behind Blaine's ear.

"Fuck, _fuck_, Kurt…I…I'm…_shit_," Blaine babbled, rutting harder as Kurt's heart thudded and his lungs burned with the need for oxygen.

Pressing his tongue firmly into Blaine's mark, Blaine choked on the breath he'd been trying to suck in and came over his hand and Kurt's hand and the sheets. His muscles contracted and relaxed, and Kurt thrust hastily a few more times until the fire in his belly exploded and his arms slipped under Blaine's and he clung to the front of Blaine's shoulders and rode out his orgasm.

Blaine gurgled with happiness as he slumped onto the bed and Kurt curled into his side and purred, each coming down from their highs. Blaine tucked his arm around Kurt's sweaty shoulders, fingers rubbing at the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I thought I liked claiming you, marking you," Blaine hummed with a smile as he took in Kurt's flushed cheeks and lazy grin. "But I think I found something I like better than that."

Kurt giggled and buried his face into Blaine's bicep, sniffing and licking it. "I'm um…I'm glad you liked it?"

Blaine uncovered Kurt's face, catching his cheek and kissing him until Kurt was sliding back into his pillows and Blaine was hovering above him. "You don't realise how incredible you are, do you?" he mused, his hands drifting down Kurt's neck and over his shoulders, lightly massaging the tension out of Kurt's muscles.

"You spend your life in public school getting anything incredible beaten out of you and then try and believe it when someone tells you," Kurt whispered.

Blaine's fingers paused for a moment, a tremor slithering up his arm.

"Blaine?"

He glanced away and finally climbed off Kurt's body, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.

Kurt sat up and crawled over to Blaine, ignoring their nudity to wrap his arms and legs around Blaine's torso and pressing his cheek between Blaine's shoulder blades. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Blaine wiped his eyes quickly and tried to stop his shaky breathing. "I… There's just, I forget there's so much that we don't know each other yet. Like, I know we're meant to be together or we wouldn't have mated and I'm okay with that, I swear, I promise, I don't regret what happened. But there's things…things in my past…things I'm not proud of and stories I hate sharing…"

Kurt held Blaine tighter, nosing at his spine. "I'm not leaving you. I mean, I _can't_, but…we're meant to be, right? Which means that there's nothing that you can tell me which will change my mind that I want you. Remember Lore? Remember how when you're weak, I'm strong? Trust me with things, trust me with this."

Blaine rolled them around until Kurt was pressed back into the bed and Blaine was cuddled into his side, his fingers trailing over Kurt's chest.

"I moved to Dalton after getting badly beaten at my previous school," Blaine whispered, closing his eyes as a tear beaded on his lashes. "They…they nearly killed the guy I went with, who was the only other out and gay kid there. I was lucky and only got a few broken bones and days in an induced coma. But…but he nearly _died_."

Kurt turned his body to clutch Blaine against his chest, petting at his curly hair.

"When I moved to Dalton, I wanted to board. My parents had dealt with me being gay but Jason was headed to college and I didn't want to be left alone without my big brother there, so I begged to board, and my parents saw it as an opportunity to do more of their humanitarian work stuff so they agreed." He sniffed softly. "For my first few months at Dalton, I pretended I wasn't gay. I hid my sexuality and I stopped singing. I didn't join anything, actually. I went to my classes and back to my dorm and only went to eat when I was actually hungry. I didn't make any friends. I didn't _want_ to make any friends, because I was too scared."

Kurt's lips pressed against Blaine's forehead, gentle and encouraging as his nails scratched against Blaine's scalp to keep him calm.

"And…and then I saw a couple of other boys mate, and no one _cared_. There was a party at dinner that night and congratulations and I sat on my own, watching as people cheered for them and it was so utterly _alien _to me, but I realised that I'd been hiding and it was stupid to hide, so the next day I approached some of the guys I knew from classes who were in the Warblers and they got me an audition and I joined." He swallowed and paused to think for a minute. "I didn't come out, or re-come out, until almost the end of my sophomore year there. No one was terribly surprised, and I think that was almost worse than getting hate for it. I'd been so terrified of people who literally didn't care."

There was a bubble forming in Kurt's heart that was warm and gooey at the thought of transferring to a place that seemed like a wonderland of acceptance. Why hadn't he looked into moving from McKinley sooner?

"Returning home wasn't as pleasant. The guy they'd beaten up had moved away with his family but _they'd_ stayed behind. Gotten off with good behaviour and community service bullshit. They followed me around and harassed me. One night, they attacked again and broke my arm." Kurt bit his lip so hard he was afraid of drawing blood but he needed to stifle his sob before it escaped and alerted Blaine to how much his heart was now aching. "Jason was home for summer break and…and we went out one night, together, looking for them. We took two of the three down – gave one permanent facial scarring and another had to have pins and screws and steel and shit put into his leg because we basically shattered it until it was useless."

"A-and…and the third guy?" Kurt stammered.

"Jase…I don't know. He took care of it. He left town, in any case, with his family. He's still alive, somewhere, but I don't want to know where. Jason and I were never caught. I think the two that we beat up knew that turning us in would mean I'd have to turn _them_ in, so we all just went mute on the fact and they keep their distance on the rare occasions I actually return home to my parent's place. Usually I go to Vermont to Jason's and my parents go there because it's neutral ground and I don't know anyone and I feel safer."

Kurt wasn't sure what to say. He knew he wasn't abandoning Blaine, not by a long shot, and yet he couldn't help but feel there was a streak within Blaine he hadn't known about, that was violent and terribly dangerous.

"Yesterday at…at school…"

"I would have killed him," Blaine said without hesitation. "If you hadn't been there whining in terror, if Mike hadn't pulled me back, if Rachel hadn't been so goddamn shrill as to snap me out of it, I would have. And I'd have been within my rights too."

"Blaine."

"It's in Lore."

"I don't give a shit what's in or not in Lore," Kurt hissed, pulling away and glaring at Blaine. "You can't just _kill_ another teenager."

"He tried to kill you!" Blaine yelled as he sat up. "I know I'm not perfect, Kurt. Fucking _Christ_, I know I'm not perfect. But I'd never stand by while _anyone_ got the life suffocated out of them, but _you_? It hasn't even been a _week_, Kurt. I'd die too."

"No you-"

"Your dad's told you about the separation between him and your mom, yeah? How her parents weren't happy with it and tried to keep them apart?"

"Yes but-"

"That's because we _need_ each other so badly. Mates, I mean, not just _us_. It's this overpowering, compulsive _need_ to be together, to keep each other safe and loved and protected otherwise we go mad." Blaine reached for Kurt's arm and a sob escaped his lips when Kurt pulled back. "Kurt, _please_."

Kurt wrapped his arms around his middle as his stomach twisted into knots. "My mom went mad," he breathed. "I thought she was just a little strange. I thought all moms were. But sometimes she'd disappear for a few days and my dad wouldn't sleep or eat, or she'd tuck me into bed and then stare at me for an hour. She'd have these terrible rages where she'd throw things, anything she could get her hands on, and then fall to the ground and cry and scream at me."

"Kurt-"

"She died, when I was eight. I told you that last week, when we were driving back here."

"I know, I-"

"She killed herself," Kurt said, shocking Blaine into silence. "I mean, the official report was a car accident when she took a turn too fast, but I remember her kissing my cheek before school and making me promise to take care of dad because she couldn't do it anymore. She said she was sorry, that she hoped one day I'd be happy and content in a way that she couldn't be. And…and dad picked me up from school and tried to tell me but I knew that it wasn't an accident, that there was something she'd been trying to tell me that morning and I'd missed it in my childish belief that she'd be okay and pick me up after school anyway."

"Kurt-"

"Is that what it's like for everyone?" Kurt asked, his hands shaking as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "They don't mate properly and they go mad and kill themselves?"

"No," Blaine admitted, staring down at his hands and wishing he wasn't covered in a thin sheet because this was _so_ not the conversation to be happening while naked. "But it happens. It's in Lore about incomplete Bonds and maybe that's what happened to your mom. How long were your parents together before she…?"

Kurt shrugged vaguely. "Nine years I guess? She was nineteen when she got pregnant and my dad was twenty-two…"

Blaine blinked. "Wow. Nine years. That's um…wow."

Kurt looked over at Blaine. "What?"

Blaine bit his lip. "Well, with incomplete Bonds, you can't…you can't _sense_ how the other person is. You don't feel the need to be around them or connected to them all the time. You almost feel apathetic." He pressed against Kurt's side tentatively. "Remember Tuesday when I was outside your door?"

Kurt nodded, holding out his hand to Blaine who sighed with relief when their palms connected and fingers curled together.

"I could feel it. Something. I don't know. I didn't recognise what it was but Jeff did. It was the same sort of thing yesterday. My mark started feeling burning and icy at the same time and all I knew was that I needed to find you because my mind was screaming that you were in danger." Blaine brushed his thumb over Kurt's skin. "It's why it's an instinctive thing to touch marks or kiss or lick them or whatever when one of the mates is upset, and why it feels so good when you're um, aroused." His cheeks turned pink and suddenly became aware again of how naked they were. "When I…when I found you, when Tina pulled back, the edges of your mark were black like your dad's."

Kurt's breathing caught and he looked up from their hands to Blaine, his eyes wide.

"It's why I'd kill him," Blaine said softly, touching Kurt's cheek. "It's why there are provisions under Lore for defending one's mate like that, because he nearly killed you, Kurt. The darkening edges of your mark proved that to me and terrified me more than you'll ever know."

Kurt slipped his arm around Blaine's neck, their bodies becoming tangled as he clung to Blaine and breathed into the junction of his neck and shoulder. "You literally saved my life," he whispered, his eyes burning with unshed tears.

"I saved _both_ our lives," Blaine amended, running his hand along Kurt's spine. "Don't you see, Kurt? If he'd killed you, my mind wouldn't have handled it. It'd be incomplete like your mom's, only worse because you were _dead_ and I didn't have a child to go on for and I should have done a better job at protecting you. If he'd killed you, I…I would have…"

"No," Kurt said firmly, pulling back enough to kiss Blaine's lips and stop him talking. "No, you wouldn't have."

"I wouldn't have had a choice," Blaine mumbled brokenly. "My mind would have fractured. This isn't a crush or a relationship like your Glee club has, where they break up and hook up all the time. This isn't even like Quinn and Puck having a child last year but remaining unmated. This is something instinctive, something that goes far beyond what you and I could hope to understand, something outlined so complexly in Lore that even specialists don't fully understand it and struggle to properly explain it to others."

"But-"

"Kurt, I know you don't want to think about it," Blaine interrupted, pressing his index finger to Kurt's lips. "I know you don't want to think about anyone becoming like your mother, and I know it's another thing within you, a mate's instinct or maybe just your heart, that doesn't want to imagine me dead by my own hand either. But losing a mate so early does irreparable damage to a psyche and I wouldn't have coped."

"My dad said though that if they die before you're eighteen, you could find another mate," Kurt said, his forehead creased.

"Yes, but I'm sure your father didn't imagine a mate dying within a week and the other mate witnessing the murder. It does things to anyone, Kurt. I'm sure Rachel wants to come over to see how you are rather than vilify you for mating with me, because she would have been scared of losing her friend. Murder, violence, it's never pretty."

Kurt nuzzled his face into Blaine's shoulder. "But what if you met someone else? What if I died and you killed yourself and left someone _else_ without their mate?"

"You're missing the point that I would have _seen_ you die, Kurt," Blaine murmured. "I couldn't have lived with myself. I'm not strong enough."

"But there are other mated couples at Dalton. Your parents. Jason."

"None of them is as good as _you_ in my life anymore, Kurt." He tilted Kurt's head until their eyes met. "You're my whole world. No one else could replace you in my life." His gaze moved away and focused on the lamp by Kurt's bedside. "It wouldn't be the first time I've considered quitting, but this time my mind wouldn't be whole anymore."

Kurt grabbed at Blaine's cheeks, kissing him until Blaine tasted the salt of Kurt's tears on his tongue and reached up to cup Kurt's cheeks and stop his weak cries.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured, kissing each of Kurt's cheeks. "I have you now. You're here, you're safe, I protected you, and I love you."

"I love you too," Kurt whimpered. "I just hate to think of you hurting so much."

"Shhh," Blaine hushed, laying Kurt down and cuddling their bodies together. "Every minute I spend with you, I feel more whole. You fix me, Kurt. You've saved me."

Kurt sniffled and latched onto Blaine's mouth, kissing him until they were breathless and their eyes were dark with arousal. "Blaine…"

"I know, I know," Blaine soothed, his hand sliding between the crush of their bodies to wrap Kurt's leg over his hip and angle their erections until they were brushing. He stroked his middle finger at Kurt's entrance and Kurt arched his back and purred. While Blaine pressed his fingers inside, Kurt rocked his hips, grinding until Blaine was whining and positioning himself roughly.

"_Blaine_," Kurt pleaded, fingers bunched into Blaine's curls.

Blaine kissed beneath Kurt's jaw as he slowly pushed inside, feeling the vibration down Kurt's spine as they messily kissed and Blaine tried to thrust into Kurt with something that was_meant_ to resemble a rhythm. But who could blame him when Kurt was scratching at his back and purring so loud his chest was resonating and he could _feel_ the purr on his lips and tongue when Kurt kissed him?

It didn't seem to matter how erratic it was though, because the feelings and sensation were building within him. He pulled at Kurt's head until he could lick the marking, the flat of his tongue sliding over the glittering 'B' as Kurt's body started trembling faintly.

"Close?" Blaine grunted, squeezing Kurt's hips and continuing to lick at the marking.

"So – _oh_," Kurt panted, claws scraping into Blaine's shoulders as he threw his head back and fought desperately to breathe.

"I…I'm…" Blaine could feel Kurt's tremors increasing but he couldn't hold it in any longer, pressing his mouth over the marking and only being faintly aware that Kurt came at exactly the same time, their heartbeats thudding as their lips met lazily for more kisses and soft touches.

"I love you," Blaine whispered, nosing at Kurt's hair and sniffing deeply. "I love you."

Kurt smiled as he snuggled his body against Blaine's, warm and sated and happy and pliant. "I love you too."

Ignoring whatever time it might have been, Blaine held their sleepy bodies together until exhaustion consumed them and they fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Sooooo...do a few more things make sense? What do you think of the Sadie Hawkins story? Do you think any of the three boys should appear here, or the other boy who was injured? (I've considered that maybe one of them is Sebastian...) Do you understand the black markings now? Are there still some things that haven't been answered here? (I know there's questions about the genetics of hybrid animals and what happens to Karofsky and if Kurt could have re-mated, so I mean anything _else_)

Next up is the Friday night dinner with Finn and Rachel in tow. Let the fireworks fly!

_(Also, how 'bout that Regionals ep? Holy hell. I'm sending love to everyone who felt as broken as me after that! xoxoxo)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 4,061  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling a tightness in his stomach that meant he needed to go to the bathroom. Except Blaine was still asleep beneath him.<p>

He squirmed slightly and oh, _oh_. No. Okay. He didn't need to pee.

Suddenly far more awake, he shifted as much as he dared and Blaine growled softly low in his throat but was still clearly sleeping. Kurt bit his lip, having no idea how to extricate himself from Blaine, not knowing how long they'd slept and when his father would be home and when Rachel, Finn and Carole were coming over, but knowing that any of them walking in on Kurt in his current, uh, predicament would be awkward for all parties involved.

"Blaine?" he whispered, pressing his fingers into Blaine's shoulder. "Blaine, wake up."

Blaine snuffled in his sleep, tilting his head away from the disturbance.

"_Blaine_," Kurt said louder, dipping his head to press the tip of his tongue to Blaine's mark.

With a startled yelp, Blaine woke, his eyes snapping open and almost throwing Kurt off him in his rapid transition to wakefulness.

"Kurt? Wha- _oh_." His cheeks turned pink as the dark flush covering Kurt's face and gave his hips an experimental wiggle.

Kurt moaned lowly and poked Blaine's chest. "That's not _fair_," he complained.

Blaine chuckled and tipped Kurt over until he was pinned to the bed beneath the weight of Blaine's body. "What's not fair is that you're a sinfully delicious mate and we missed all the fumbling around because you fell asleep with me still inside you and now I just want to screw you into the mattress."

Kurt covered his face with his hands and whined at Blaine. "You can't just _say_ things like that, oh my God."

Blaine carefully prised Kurt's fingers away from his face. "Why? Because you like it? Because you want me to make you scream my name again?" He lowered his head and licked a stripe along Kurt's throat. "Please say you do because I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself."

Kurt whimpered and grabbed for Blaine's hair to kiss him. "I'm turned on. Don't leave me like _this_ or I won't have sex with you for a week."

Blaine snorted and thrust into Kurt, kissing over his jaw to the marking behind his ear and licking it thoroughly until Kurt's breathing quickened into desperate pants, his claws scratching parallel lines down the skin of Blaine's back.

"Blaine…_Blaine_…" he gasped, his thighs gripping Blaine's hips as he felt the coiling in his stomach get tighter and hotter. Blaine adjusted his angle the slightest degree and Kurt came with a scream that left Blaine deaf in one ear until his rhythm stuttered and he came in hot spurts within Kurt.

Kurt started purring, licking his roughened tongue over the skin of Blaine's neck as his fingers tangled into Blaine's scalp. The catch of Kurt's tongue on his skin left Blaine whining and pressing kisses everywhere he could reach.

"I love you," he breathed between kisses, scraping his teeth over Kurt's ear.

Kurt shivered and giggled softly. "Love you too."

When Blaine finally unknotted himself, Kurt groaned at feeling so stretched and empty and hollow. Blaine kissed away his sad expression and swiped his finger through the drying come on Kurt's chest.

"So I'm thinking we should probably clean up before this dinner thing tonight," he said, nuzzling Kurt's jaw.

Kurt pulled a face, reaching out for his phone and glancing at the screen. "It's four. Do we _have_ to?"

Blaine laughed and sat up on the edge of Kurt's bed, shaking out his legs until he could stand. "C'mon. I'll clean you up."

Kurt's eyes brightened considerably and he jumped from the bed, tugging Blaine behind him.

* * *

><p>"Stop fidgeting," Blaine reprimanded quietly as Kurt twiddled his fingers and tapped his toes and scratched his nose.<p>

"They'll be here any minute," Kurt frowned, his fidgeting not abating until Blaine covered his hand and squeezed it gently.

The doorbell rang and Kurt stumbled from the chair with Blaine following.

"Hey," Burt said once the door was opened, his gaze flickering to the marks on Kurt's throat and darkening into a scowl.

"Hi Burt," Blaine said, wrapping his arm around Kurt's waist and shaking Burt's hand. "Rachel, Finn, Mrs. Hudson," he acknowledged.

"Oh honey, Carole, please," she corrected automatically, pinching Finn's arm.

"Blaine," Finn said stiffly.

"Hello," Rachel mumbled, her eyes shifting between Kurt, Blaine and the floor.

"Well, this is suitably awkward," Burt exclaimed, staring between the children. "I vote coming in and putting Carole's lasagne in the oven to re-heat."

"Lasagne?" Blaine perked up. "I love lasagne."

Carole smiled and Kurt anxiously stepped aside, eyeing Finn and Rachel with open disdain and perhaps even bordering on hostility. Carole entered with her crockpot thing and Burt shuffled after her, leaving the teenagers to sort out their disagreement or whatever the weird tension was between them.

"So…" Finn said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Blaine's grip tightened on Kurt's hip, his thumb digging in to the flesh. "Talk to them," he said softly before turning away to talk with Carole and Burt.

Kurt stamped his foot as Blaine walked away, frustrated even though they'd talked about this in the shower.

"Look dude, I'm happy for you. Really," Finn said when he saw Kurt's disbelieving face. "I mean, I guess it was just sort of a shock for us and…well, I mean, I guess after you pined after me so much last year I thought it'd be someone different. Or someone less preppy. Or...okay, I'm shutting up now before I turn to ash from your glare."

"Have you never read anything on Lore?" Kurt glowered, folding his arms over his chest. "This isn't something I consciously _chose_. This isn't even something I necessarily _wanted_ at my age. And it's certainly not something I wanted on top of," he gave a wild wave, "on top of everything like the bullying and Karofsky. But it happened, and I'm happy and I would have expected that at least the two of you would have been happy for me." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Actually I'm not surprised. You two are always the most disagreeable and unhappy about something happening in Glee that doesn't pertain to you and your insufferable dramas."

Rachel went to protest before realising that it was, for the most part, truth.

"But you're going to leave McKinley because of him," Finn continued.

"Because he's my _mate_," Kurt sighed, pulling at his hair with exasperation. "And because McKinley is _shit_ and I don't feel safe there anymore."

"Karofsky got-"

"I don't _care_ what Karofsky got!" Kurt shrieked, stepping closer to Finn and hating the height difference between them because it just wasn't intimidating enough to be the small person. "I don't care if he got ripped apart by Blaine under Lore rights, or he got thrown in jail and the key was swallowed by a goldfish, or he had an unfortunate accident with a semi. It's not just Karofsky, don't you get that? He might have been the one who was the worst, the one who tried to kill me, but he is _not_ the only bully putting my life in jeopardy."

"We just don't want to lose you," Rachel said quietly, her fingers bunching in her sweater.

"So you'd prefer I would have _died_?" Kurt snapped, his gaze narrowing at her and glad that he was taller this time when Rachel shrank back. "You have no idea Rachel, _no_ idea what it's like at that school for me. You have no idea what I've been through there. You have no idea how-" His voice caught and he swallowed down the sob. "Things have been terrible this year. _Terrible_. And I've kept you out of it and I've kept Dad out of it and now Blaine is here, for _me_. He _wants _me and he protects me and he saved my life yesterday. I'm not dying, Rachel. I'm not moving to another country or interstate. I've gained a mate and I'm switching schools to be with him." He glanced at her hideous animal sweater before looking between her and Finn. "If you lose me, it's because you can't accept who I am and don't make an effort to stay, not because I've mated."

He gave them no opportunity to respond, returning to the house and finding Blaine in the kitchen discussing football with his father while Carole chopped up tomatoes to add to the bowl of salad she was apparently making.

Blaine looked up as Kurt entered, holding his hand out which Kurt gratefully took before sliding into his seat beside Blaine and breathing out slowly.

"How are you?" Burt asked, his concern poorly disguised.

"I'm glad I have someone like Blaine to help me through this," Kurt replied truthfully, smiling at Blaine and his father. "I mean, I'd have had to cope without him but…I'm glad he's here. It's like he was meant to be here, y'know? To help me through this or whatever."

Burt nodded carefully. "Sometimes there's an element of destiny or timing in meeting your mate. But it's sort of more like a myth or a wife's tale rather than taken for fact. Still," his eyes flickered to Blaine's thumb rubbing against Kurt's knuckles, "I'm glad you have him too."

Blaine's cheeks flushed and he ducked his head as Rachel and Finn entered the kitchen area. Kurt's posture stiffened.

"We're sorry," Rachel said, chewing her lower lip. "Honestly. It might take you some time to accept it, and it might take us a little while to come to terms with the suddenness of this but that doesn't mean we don't value your happiness or want you to _be _happy."

"Funny way of showing it," Kurt muttered, hushing when Blaine poked his nail into Kurt's palm as a warning.

"We accept your apology," Blaine said. "And I'll give you the time you need to adjust to Kurt's new status, so long as it doesn't involve him being upset or harmed."

"Fair call," Finn agreed, holding his hand out to Blaine. Blaine shook it without hesitation, even as Kurt continued to glare at the table and fidget at a bubble in the varnishing.

The conversation shifted back to football with Finn in the room. Rachel realised that Kurt wasn't going to acknowledge her further and went to help Carole chop salad ingredients.

In fact, Kurt remained mostly silent throughout the meal, offering occasional snippits of conversation but refusing to engage or make eye-contact with anyone outside of Blaine or his father. He thanked Carole and helped clear the dishes with Blaine while the rest of the dysfunctional members of his family moved to the living room with awkward glances at each other.

"So what's really going on?" Blaine said as he stacked glasses into the dishwasher.

"I'm just really tired of putting up with all of their crap. Their breakups and breakdowns and I'm just _tired_ of it," Kurt murmured, scraping off lettuce leaves from Carole's plate into the bin.

Blaine kissed the back of his neck quickly and went back to cleaning off the table.

Kurt paused after placing the plate in the rack. "What was that for?"

Blaine shrugged. "Just to remind you that I love you."

Kurt gave a weary half-smile and they finished off the rest in a companionable silence.

It became obvious, at least to Kurt, that if his father was going to propose to Carole, they would not only need an extra bedroom but at least a second couch. Burt and Carole were holding hands on the couch with Burt's arm slung over her shoulders, and Rachel was draped over Finn's lap awkwardly in the arm chair. Kurt wrinkled his nose at the idea of curling into Blaine's lap in front of his father and two of his friends.

It was Blaine who solved the problem, at least this time, by pushing Kurt into the vacant arm chair and sitting cross-legged in front of it, snuggly fitting between Kurt's thighs and smiling contently when Kurt started running his fingers through the curly hair against his knee. It almost, _almost_, felt like quality family time, if Kurt hadn't been so hyperaware of the uncomfortable glances from Finn and the miserable look on Rachel's face. Burt and Carole barely seemed to notice, content to quietly chat about whatever movie was on with George Clooney that he wasn't paying much attention to.

When Rachel yawned for the fourth time in fifteen minutes, Finn announced he'd take her home. Carole and Burt looked at each other and silently communicated in the way parents seem to do before Burt turned his attention to Kurt and Blaine, who was dozing with a lazy smile with Kurt's fingers threading through his hair soothingly.

"Do you want the house to yourself?" Burt asked as Kurt blinked at his father and glanced down at Blaine.

"No. I think we'll be okay if you want to stay here. I probably need to pack up stuff tomorrow to move to Dalton, huh?"

"Yeah, about that. I got the confirmation today that you can start Monday," Burt said, smiling at the grin that spread over Kurt's face. "I reckon if you can pack things tomorrow, we can move you into the dorm housing on Sunday."

Kurt wanted to shake Blaine awake to tell him but he knew Blaine had been so fraught with fear over Kurt's safety that if he was relaxed enough in an environment containing Finn and Rachel, then it was better to let him rest.

"That sounds like a good plan," Kurt conceded.

"So…we're gonna go," Finn said for a second time, nudging Rachel off his shoulder until she was standing with a wobble.

Carole and Burt got up to shake hands and hug and kiss while Kurt turned back to the TV.

"We truly do want you to be happy man," Finn said hesitantly before he and Rachel left.

Burt lasted another ten minutes before deciding he'd had enough of the crappy movie and was going to bed. He touched a soft kiss to Kurt's head and led Carole upstairs while Kurt studiously avoided thinking about his father and another woman in the same bed that his mother had once slept in.

His thoughts wandered without anyone to police them, his fingers carding through Blaine's hair absently while the TV flickered over his face. He wondered about the other boys at Blaine's school and just how accepting they really were over the situation. If Kurt couldn't count on Rachel, could Blaine truly count on his own friends? Maybe it was a disaster in the making to transfer to a school and be surrounded by other boys. What if he came down another staircase and stopped someone else and was attracted to _them_? He didn't know Lore well enough and he didn't want to upset Blaine with the idea of mating with someone else but…was it even possible? Had he made a mistake in mating with Blaine so early and so suddenly? Maybe Finn and Rachel were right. Maybe he had rushed into this and didn't know Blaine and it would become a problem.

And what of Karofsky? Would it have been better if he'd mated with him? Would the bullying have stopped if he'd known about Karofsky's apparent attraction? Or would he have died if he hadn't met and mated with Blaine and Karofsky had still attacked him and squeezed the breath from his lungs? Except he wouldn't have been clearing out his locker at that time if not for Blaine, so perhaps he never would have ended up in that situation in the first place.

Blaine stirred, his hand blindly capturing Kurt's. "Stop worrying," he mumbled with a gentle squeeze.

Kurt swallowed and smiled lightly, squeezing Blaine's hand back. "Sorry," he whispered, dispelling his thoughts as best as he could and returning to petting Blaine's hair.

He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep, only that he was being woken by a gentle shake. His eyes opened to see Blaine's hovering in front of him.

"Hey," he breathed before yawning.

"I think it's time to get my mate to bed," Blaine smiled, tugging him from the chair and leading him to the basement.

They moved around each other, changing to pyjamas (Kurt) or stripping to his boxers and an old tee (Blaine) and brushing teeth. It felt so seamless, like they'd been doing it for years rather than only a few days. Kurt caught Blaine's eyes on him as he tossed his jeans into the laundry hamper.

"What?" he frowned, crawling up the bed and snuggling into Blaine's welcome arms.

Blaine nuzzled Kurt's hair and wrapped his arms securely around Kurt's back. "I just can't believe I love someone this much so quickly," he murmured.

Kurt yawned again and kissed over Blaine's heart, feeling the soothing vibrations against his cheek as he pillowed his head. "G'night Blaine."

Blaine flicked off the bedside lamp and cuddled Kurt close. "Night, Kurt."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Between FF being weird, and Uni starting up again, and stress and migraines and all sorts of RL drama, I apologise that this was delayed. Hopefully it met expectations, but you can always let me know either way with a review... ;) xo


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,712  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Packing on Saturday was, in a word, <em>ridiculous<em>. Every time Kurt laid out an outfit and decided that yes, he'd take it to Dalton and began folding it into a suitcase or a suit bag, Blaine came in behind him and unfolded it and returned it to his wardrobe.

"_Blaine_," he sighed, smacking Blaine's hand away from the stack of shirts on the bed.

"Kurt, you don't _need_ those," Blaine repeated for the fiftieth time so far. "You're not moving to New York. You're not going on a month-long holiday. You're moving two hours away to a school that has a uniform."

"But I need _outfits_," Kurt insisted, waving his hand at the piles of clothes around his bedroom.

"You need maybe _four_."

"_Four_?" Kurt shrieked indignantly. "I need at _least_ seven for a week."

"You won't change out of your uniform. There's no point," Blaine explained patiently. "Something for the weekends when you come back here, something for during the week if we go out, but you don't need your entire wardrobe."

Kurt scowled as Blaine slid down to rest against the wall, his eyes amused. "I can't survive on so few items of clothing."

"Learn," Blaine said simply, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

Kurt huffed in frustration and ignored his clothes briefly in favour of packing other things. Except that he was getting new exercise and text books with the Dalton curriculum so it didn't leave much. He figured Blaine had practical things like bedside lamps and an alarm clock, and he didn't want to disturb his room too much until he could arrange a decorative theme for their room at Dalton anyway. After half an hour, he frowned when he realised nothing much had been added to his bag.

"_Blaine_," he whined, hands on his hips as he stamped his foot.

"Yes, dear?" Blaine teased, opening one eye to gaze at Kurt.

"I don't know what to _take_," Kurt complained as he stared around him at the clothing piles again.

"Take a few different styles of jeans or pants or whatever that can go with anything," Blaine said, shutting his eye and settling back against the wall more comfortably. "A couple of dress shirts and a couple of casual ones. A nice coat to wear out, and something comfy you can chill out in your room wearing. Practical shoes that will get you from A to B and go with the rest of what you've already picked out."

Kurt pouted but started collecting items that matched Blaine's outline. He may have ended up with a few more than four outfits, but he had packed his clothes and it was _progress_. Maybe in a month or two he wouldn't take so many clothes back and forth.

"Fine, I'm done," he grumbled, walking over to Blaine and crouching in front of him. "You can stop ignoring me now."

"I'm not ignoring you," Blaine said, opening his eyes and smiling at the expression on Kurt's face. "I was trying a different tactic to get you to pack. Apparently it worked."

Kurt glowered until Blaine grabbed his hips, wiggling his fingers into Kurt's side.

"No! No, no, no!" Kurt squealed, toppling to the ground and writhing desperately as Blaine tickled him until he was giggling and his face was flushed. "You're mean."

"Only in the best ways," Blaine murmured, pinning Kurt's hands above his head and leaning down to kiss him. Kurt whimpered happily, his body relaxing as Blaine sucked gently on his lower lip. "I love you," Blaine breathed, kissing Kurt's forehead and chuckling when Kurt opened his eyes and looked slightly dazed.

"I love you too." Kurt shook a hand free and tangled their fingers together. "Can I ask you something?"

"Bit late for that," Blaine said immediately.

Kurt frowned and then rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"You love me."

"Whatever. I…I wanted to ask. You still haven't told your brother or parents yet, have you?"

Blaine glanced away, focusing on a photo of Kurt's mother by his bed. "No."

"Why?"

"Because they're away and he's working and-"

"And we're going to call them," Kurt interrupted.

"What?"

"Right now." Kurt shifted until Blaine fell off him. "Maybe we can't call your parents, but we can call Jason. It's a Saturday. Come on."

"Kurt-"

"No more excuses," Kurt said, pressing his index finger to Blaine's lips. "No more. It's been over a week now, Blaine. I'm moving to Dalton and your life is totally different. We can't hide it from them. I _won't_ hide it from them."

Blaine sighed as he retrieved his phone from his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he found Jason's name. Biting his lip, he pressed the button and put it onto speaker phone, mentally chanting that Jase didn't pick up.

But he did, he always did, because Blaine rarely called and Jason was always on edge that he was going to get hurt again and need to break some other guy's limbs.

"Hey little bro!" Jason cooed down the phone, and Kurt stuffed his hand into his mouth to stifle his giggle.

"Hi Jase," he mumbled, feeling suddenly fatigued and really, _really_ not wanting to do this.

"How's things? You're okay, right?"

He stared at the phone on the floor until Kurt nudged him. "Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you want to try that again with a tone that doesn't sound like you're faking?"

"He knows you well," Kurt whispered with a grin.

"He's my _brother_," Blaine hissed, motioning to Kurt to shush.

"Who was that? Am I on _speaker_?" Jason demanded.

"Um…" Blaine rolled onto his stomach and pillowed his head on his crossed arms. "Maybe?"

"Blaine? S'going on?"

Kurt gestured wildly and Blaine wasn't sure if it was sign language, a tribal dance, or just Kurt flailing something. "_Tell him_," he said finally when Blaine still didn't get it.

"Tell me what? _Blaine_."

"I umm…don't freak out, okay?"

"It's too late for that, B. You being secretive has never meant good news in the past."

"Well, it's sort of good news," Blaine murmured.

"_Sort of_?" Kurt repeated, jabbing Blaine in his shoulder.

"Ow," Blaine grimaced, rubbing at the spot Kurt's nail had dug into his skin.

"Who's that?"

"My name is Kurt Hummel," Kurt introduced himself, ignoring Blaine's glare to just shut up.

"Right. So now that I know who the hell is on the other end of the phone, are you going to tell me kiddo or is Kurt?"

Blaine heaved a sigh. "Kurt's my mate."

There was a long, long silence. Blaine started fidgeting, tearing strips of skin off his lower lip until it started bleeding and Kurt pinched him to stop.

"Jay?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. Okay. Um. _Wow_, Blaine," Jason said finally. "I'm going to guess you haven't told mom and dad yet?"

"Not exactly, no."

"_Blaine_."

"I don't want to be scolded or reprimanded right now, Jason. I'm going to get enough of that from them."

Kurt raised an eyebrow that Blaine looked away from.

"I can't exactly ask if you're sure, because there's nothing I can say now that could change anything. I'm not even quite sure _what_ to say. It's kind of a bit of a shock."

"I know." Blaine closed his eyes and tried to pretend Jason was in the room and rubbing his back like his brother would do when he was upset, rather than Kurt. "I know. I didn't…it's not like you can _plan_ for this, y'know? But Kurt…he's…he's perfect and I love him and…and he insisted you needed to know."

"When did it happen?"

Blaine swallowed. "Last Friday."

"Last…? _Blaine_, mom and dad are going to _freak_."

"I _know_, okay? That's why I've been avoiding making the phone calls to you and them." Kurt's hand kept moving in patterns over his back but he could feel how frayed his nerves were getting, how his hands were starting to shake with anxiety.

Blaine could practically hear Jason scraping his nails over his face in frustration and annoyance.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, although he wasn't quite sure what he was apologising for.

"Apologies aren't necessary, B. It's too late for that anyway. Just…_Christ_, why didn't you call earlier?"

"I was assaulted at school," Kurt said, his voice clearly nervous. "A bully apparently had feelings for me and attacked me and nearly strangled me."

"Shit. Are you, no, are you _both_ okay?" Jason amended.

Kurt glanced to where Blaine was trying to control his breathing, his eyes closed. It felt like there were ants crawling over his skin and they'd begun their journey from the mark behind his ear. He recognised what it meant, he had a vague idea what he needed to do.

"We're as okay as we can be," Kurt admitted. "I'm a little bruised and shaken, and we've both been pretty clingy this week. Blaine's been at home with me and my family and calling just…it didn't appear to be a priority with everything going on."

Jason fell silent as he turned over the new information. Kurt eased onto his stomach beside Blaine, reaching for his wrist and pressing his thumb to the inside of it. Blaine shuddered and cuddled closer to Kurt.

"Blaine, you _need_ to call mom and dad," Jason said, startling Blaine out of the calmed state he'd fallen into with Kurt touching him.

"I know. I'll do it when the time difference works out."

Jason hummed noncommittally. "Call me after you've called them, alright? Or after Kurt's calmed you down."

Blaine flushed. "I'll call you," he promised.

"Good." There was another pause. "I hope to meet Kurt soon."

"Jay?"

"Don't worry, I won't surprise visit you at Dalton, which is where I'm assuming he's going to transfer to," Jason assured. "I just want to see the guy that stole my brother's heart for the rest of his natural life."

Kurt made an 'aww' face that Blaine rolled his eyes at. "I'll call you later."

"Alright little bro. Look after yourself, and Kurt. Or Kurt, look after him because he's more stubborn than a mule."

"I'm well aware of that, thanks Jason," Kurt said, jumping away from Blaine's attempted poke.

Blaine tapped at the screen to end the call. "Happy?"

"Some," Kurt conceded as he pushed Blaine to lie on his back and tilted his head to one side. Blaine closed his eyes, a shiver running down his spine as Kurt licked softly at the mark behind his ear, the anxious swirling in his stomach settling until he felt he could breathe properly again. He could hear the tiny, wet noises of Kurt's tongue lapping at the skin, slightly rough and catching on a curl or two of hair that got in the way.

He breathed out achingly slowly, trying to let all the tension from his body go as Kurt calmed him. He whimpered when Kurt dipped his tongue around the shell of Blaine's ear and to the junction where his earlobe and jaw touched before returning to nosing and kissing the glittery 'K'.

"I love you," Kurt whispered, tucking his body into Blaine's side and snuggling close. He found Blaine's hand and linked their fingers together, ignoring the hard floor in favour of resting his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"I love you too," Blaine echoed, his thumb brushing along Kurt's knuckles as he pressed a kiss to the top of Kurt's hair.

Yes, his parents might flip their shit, but as long as he had Kurt, he'd be okay.

* * *

><p>What he hadn't mentioned to Kurt was that the time difference meant that it would be better if he called on Sunday morning rather than Saturday evening. Jason texted him several times and Kurt poked him each time he ignored the messages. By the time Kurt dragged him into bed, he has seven messages from Jason he hadn't bothered reading and instead let Kurt soothe him with the lightest circular massage to the mark behind his ear.<p>

* * *

><p>"Wake up."<p>

Blaine groaned, batting blindly at the hand prodding him. "Go 'way. M'slee'ng."

"Up. Now."

"No. Mo' sleep."

"_Blaine_. Your parents are on the phone."

He startled upwards so fast he fell out of the bed. "Wherzaphone?"

Kurt giggled and peered over the edge of the mattress at the heap of Blaine on the floor. "They're not actually, but it woke you up. Now, I have your phone in my hand so…"

Blaine yelped as he flung himself back onto the bed and snatched at the phone Kurt held just out of reach. "_Kurt_," he whined. "C'mon. I don't wanna."

"I know you don't, but it has to be done."

"_Kurt_."

"I will sit on you while I call them. I will sit on your hands and your chest and I will tell them myself."

"And I'll start squirming my fingers against your ass until you start groaning and _that_ will go down well with my parents."

Kurt's eyes widened and he threw the phone at Blaine, clunking him in the head. "Fine. You call them. But you call them now."

Blaine wanted to smile but his stomach was twisting with nerves as he unlocked it and started scrolling for the international number his parents were using.

"It'll be okay," Kurt murmured, closing his hand around Blaine's wrist.

Blaine laughed slightly hysterically. "Yeah. Sure."

Biting his lip, Kurt grabbed the phone from his hands and pressed the dial button and then speaker, listening to the clicks and bleeps as it transferred between international locations.

He rubbed his thumb to the inside of Blaine's wrist, feeling vaguely frustrated, when the call finally connected.

"Hello?"

Blaine let out the breath he'd been holding. "Hi Momma."

"Blaine? Is that really you?"

"I don't sound like Jason and unless you have another son you forgot to mention…"

Blaine's mother laughed. "Hi baby. It's just unusual for you to call. We're so used to your emails now that I'd forgotten your voice."

Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt but the anxiety as still clear on his face.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of reacquainting myself with your smooth tones? Those Warbler boys have done wonders for your voice quality."

Kurt stifled a snort while Blaine blushed. "Um…well, I have some news."

"Is this the sort of news you want to tell me and your father at the same time, the sort of news where I should lock myself in the bedroom with a pillow to squeal into, the sort of news where I should take a seat, or the sort of news I should start panicking?"

Blaine looked at Kurt helplessly but Kurt only shrugged. He didn't know Blaine's parents at all. He didn't know how they'd react.

"I think you should at least sit down…"

There was some shuffling in the background, light tapping noises which Kurt presumed were heels. "Alright. I'm sitting. Do your worst."

"Uh…well…" The words were stuck in his throat as the terror crept up his spine. Kurt snuggled in behind him and started licking at the marking. "I'm…I found my mate."

"You- Oh my God,_ Blaine_!" He cringed at the shrillness in his mother's voice. "You're only a _Junior_! You're not old enough for that!"

"It's not like I could stop it," he huffed, curling into Kurt's arms and glowering at the stupid device.

He heard his mother's sigh and was glad that he knew so much about Lore because really, there was _nothing_ they could do, or even _would_ do since they were so far away.

"Is he a Dalton boy?"

Blaine felt Kurt tense behind him and searched for his hand to hold. "He will be. He starts there tomorrow."

"Wait, wait. He's transferring? So when did you mate, Blaine?"

Blaine licked his lips and squeezed his eyes shut. "Just over a week ago."

"_Blaine Jonathan Anderson!_"

He recoiled and Kurt squished him gently.

And then his mother surprised the hell out of him. She started _laughing_ for heaven's sake. His eyes flashed back open and he stared at the phone.

"You are as hopeless as my parents and as terrible as your father!" she choked through her chuckles. "He put off telling his family for a fortnight, until they actually received a letter about the new arrangements from _my_ parents and they hit the roof because he hadn't told them yet."

"You aren't mad?" Blaine mumbled, a lump building in his throat.

"Only a little, because it's been a _week_ and I thought you knew us better than that. Not to mention I'll still fret that my baby boy is too young but it's not like you're boyfriends or you're getting married. I can't have stopped this from happening, I can't change it now, and your mate is someone to match you perfectly and make you happy. I can't be mad that you found that love."

A sob bubbled out of Blaine's mouth. "I just…I thought…"

"You worry too much, Blainey. You probably called Jason first and he got you terrified, didn't he?"

"Y-yeah," he admitted.

Blaine's mother laughed again. "Just because we don't see you much doesn't mean we don't care and love you unconditionally."

"Thanks Momma," he whispered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"So tell me about your mate! Is he cute? Is he taller than you? No wait, don't answer that. Unless you've grown, of course he's taller than you."

"_Mom_," he admonished through laughter and Kurt smiled as Blaine started to cheer up and relax. "I dunno. Kurt, do you think you're cute?"

Kurt blushed as Blaine's mother started squawking at the idea she'd been on speaker phone the whole time. "Hi Mrs. Anderson. It's nice to hear you be so supportive."

"Mrs…? Oh my God, please, it's Lorraine, and Blaine's father is Jonathan. You're our son's mate, there's no need for titles and crap like that," Lorraine said, and Kurt's smile widened.

"Well, uh, hello then Lorraine."

"So Kurt, it is Kurt, right?"

"Yes ma'am. Kurt Hummel."

"Kurt. Tell me about yourself, seeing as my son is going to clam up and be as red as a tomato right now."

Kurt peeked at Blaine who was, indeed, quite red and trying to hide his mortified face in the pillow.

Kurt chatted to Lorraine about anything he thought she mind find interesting. She was impressed that he was a countertenor and had been in his school's Glee club and said she couldn't wait to hear a duet between him and Blaine. Kur's mind wandered as he spoke, wondering if this is what it would have been like if his own mother had lived to see him mate. But then he shook his head, because his mother had always been distant and aloof and if she hadn't bonded and mated properly as Blaine suspected, she would never have understood why her son got to properly mate.

"Hang on dear, Johny just got home," Lorraine interrupted, pausing the conversation and quite clearly kissing her husband's cheek. "John, Blaine's on the phone. How do I get this thing onto a hands-free speaker thingy?"

Blaine bit back a laugh as his father explained once again how to do it until his voice was clearer over the line. "Hello little B. What's the news?"

"Oh Blaine, can I tell him?" Lorraine asked and Blaine shrugged before realising his mother couldn't see it.

"Sure, go ahead Momma."

"Blaine got mated!" Lorraine squealed. There was a pause where Blaine started chewing his bottom lip again. "John?"

"Momma?"

"Sorry, that just was the last thing on my mind of reasons why you might be calling," John said, his voice low. Kurt felt his stomach sink even though he wasn't quite sure why. "I…wow, Blaine. This is sort of sudden and out of the blue."

"Most matings are, dear," Lorraine pointed out.

"Yes but…" Jonathan cleared his throat. "Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that Lorrie. She's looking at me like she's about to castrate me."

"You remember as well as I do when we mated and-"

"Whoa, okay, details I don't want to know right now!" Blaine yelled as Kurt started shaking with laughter behind him.

"Probably details I don't want to know about you and your mate either," John conceded. Lorraine laughed in the background. "I'm going to get all the news from your mother, I can just tell but…you're happy, right? He'll treat you good until we can get back to America and see you both?"

Blaine turned his head and met Kurt's eyes, a slow smile spreading over his face. "Yeah, Dad. I'm really happy."

"That's all that matters, son. That's all that matters."

Kurt introduced himself and he and John talked for a little while until Burt banged on the door and asked if they were ever getting up. Kurt blushed and Blaine laughed as he explained to his parents they needed to go. There were a few tears from Blaine and his mother as they hung up, promises for a Skype call soon were made and so much love Kurt felt a little nauseous with all the fluff, yet also wondering why Blaine had been so frightened of telling his parents.

Eventually John hung up and Blaine rolled over in Kurt's arms to kiss him. "Thank you," he murmured, kissing the tip of Kurt's nose.

"You should listen to me more often," Kurt announced with a grin.

"God no. Then you really _would_ be taking your entire wardrobe to Dalton," Blaine laughed, untangling himself from Kurt and the sheets and grabbing the outfit Kurt had laid out for him to wear.

Kurt pulled a face. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes."

"Of course there's not, honey," Blaine said, leaning against the doorframe and grinning. "Although I think they look better off you than on."

"_Blaine_," Kurt shrieked, throwing a pillow at Blaine who chuckled and shut the door.

Kurt shook his head as he flopped back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling with a smile. It had gone okay, not like his parents. He wasn't going to end up like his mother. He was starting at a new school where people accepted Blaine and by extension, would accept him.

He'd never felt happier and warmer within himself at feeling so loved.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I can only express apologies for the break between updates. It's been a busy few weeks with uni and my personal life has been interfering. I'm trying to get a little back on track but as usual, I can't make promises and can only say to keep up with my Tumblr if you can. I hope meeting the parents and Jason lived up to expectations :) Next chapter, we'll see some of Dalton!


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 2,850  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>It felt a little like a President's motorcade, with Blaine driving his car with Kurt in the passenger seat, Finn driving Kurt's Navigator directly behind them and Burt in his truck with Carole bringing up the rear. The strangest thing about it all was that the majority of Kurt's belongings fit in Blaine's car with a few larger items in his Navigator, but it was decided Kurt needed his own car while at Dalton with Blaine and with neither willing to be separated for the two hour journey, Finn was left to drive it (with very strict instructions from Kurt on how to drive his baby).<p>

Kurt held onto Blaine's wrist for the majority of the drive, his eyes closed and his head tilted back and enjoying the serenity washing over him. It seemed like the further he got from Lima and McKinley, the lighter and happier he began to feel as excitement bubbled in his stomach. Dalton was a fresh start, a place where he would be accepted and safe from jocks and bullies and attacks from other students. Dimly he wondered what had happened to Karofsky but he didn't dare ask with Blaine around, and Blaine had barely left his side in days.

He must have drifted off because Blaine was lightly shaking him awake. He blinked his eyes open, mirroring Blaine's smile because _damn_, his mate was attractive, before glancing out the front window.

"This isn't Dalton," he frowned, scratching at his nose and looking to Blaine in confusion.

"It is, and it isn't," Blain said cryptically. "We're halfway between Dalton and Crawford. It's a separate lodging dorm for mated couples."

Kurt's eyes widened as he looked at the grand building, even though it was far smaller than the main Dalton entrance he'd visited just over a week prior. "You have a whole side building thing?"

"Well, we can't have females on Dalton grounds, and Crawford won't allow males, so this is like a halfway point for the hetero mates," Blaine explained with a shrug as he opened his door and stepped out. "And for the unmated boys or girls, being around mated couples in the same dorm is a little overwhelming and, well," Blaine grinned cheekily, "_loud_."

Kurt blushed and climbed out of the car. "So they just allow lodging to mated couples and there's no supervision?"

Blaine snorted. "There's not much supervision in the main dorms either, Kurt."

"But don't you have prefects or something?"

"Of course, but there are mated and unmated prefects, and they aren't or can't or _won't_ interfere in moments between mates."

Kurt felt his whole body start to become flushed with embarrassment as Finn, Carole and his father walked over.

"Looks awesome," Finn said with a nod to the very building Kurt was so mortified by.

"Yes, well, some places can afford quality builders to create architectural works of art," Kurt replied, hauling out a bag and handing it off to Finn to carry.

Carole kept her arm looped through Burt's as Blaine led the way, up a set of stairs and along a corridor until they reached room twenty-four.

"Welcome home?" he whispered to Kurt, pushing the unlocked door open.

Kurt poked Blaine as best as he could with the books he was carrying and followed him into the room.

It was simple but still homely, a double bed against one of the walls, two matching desks and chairs with a bookshelf between them. There was a bathroom behind one of the doors and a closet that was already filled with Blaine's minimal clothing. It felt warm and comfortable, although Kurt was already considering a few ways that he could add his own flair to the decorations.

"Well, this is nice," Carole said, prodding Burt to say something.

"Uh, yeah. You'll be happy here, right Kurt?"

Blaine and Finn put Kurt's bags on the bed while Kurt unloaded his armful of books onto one of the desks. "It can't be any worse than where I've come from."

Finn winced and Blaine tucked his arm around Kurt's back protectively.

Time passed quickly as Finn helped bring in the final load from the car and Carole helped Blaine sort some of the books and hang the clothes in the closet. Burt was relegated to sitting in a seat and doing as little as possible so his heart wasn't unduly strained.

"I think we're mostly set," Kurt announced, zipping up the last of his suitcases and propping it by the door for his father to take back to Lima.

"Are you sure you'll be okay here?" Burt asked, rubbing his balding head and anxiously looking between Kurt and Blaine.

"I'll look after him, I promise," Blaine assured, squeezing Kurt into his side.

Burt sighed and Carole was once again prodding him. They began the task of farewells, promises about Friday dinners and telephone calls and maybe a tear was shed by Burt but no one drew any attention to it. Finally Kurt was waving goodbye to his father and Finn and Carole, returning to his room that he shared with Blaine. How things had changed in just over a week since he'd' found his mate!

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked as they shut the door, pulling Kurt into his arms for a gentle hug.

"A little overwhelmed," Kurt confessed, gripping Blaine's cardigan and nuzzling his nose into Blaine's neck. "It's a big change and a lot to take in."

"It definitely is," Blaine agreed, kissing Kurt's mark and pulling away to adjust some of the books on the bookshelf.

They worked in silence as Kurt unpacked his toiletries and re-arranged his outfits in the closet until they made a more ordered sense that Carole hadn't been able to figure out from his instructions. He was just finishing up when the door flew open and he immediately froze.

"Welcome to the dorms!"

Kurt crept behind Blaine's body, using it as a shield as panic flooded him.

"Hey," Blaine said softly, fumbling for Kurt's hand and squeezing it. "It's Wes. You remember Wes from after we mated, don't you?"

Kurt looked doubtfully at Wes, his wariness increasing as three other boys appeared in the doorway.

"Guys, back up a moment," Wes ordered, stepping back with his arms up. "It's okay Kurt. We won't hurt you."

Kurt wasn't even sure where the fear had erupted from but it was consuming as his heart beat wildly out of control. He'd barely seen anyone outside of his immediate family since the incident with Karofsky and somehow he'd forgotten he would be faced with a lot of unfamiliar boys as of tomorrow.

"Kurt," Blaine called, shaking him gently. "Hey. Look at me. You're safe. They won't hurt you."

Kurt struggled to focus his eyes on Blaine's golden ones, his breathing haphazard and his gaze constantly shifting to where the four boys hovered in the doorway.

"Can you come back later, Wes? And shut the door?" Blaine said tightly. Kurt saw Wes nod and leave, the door clicking behind them. "What's going on?"

"Afraid," Kurt mumbled, his terror subsiding as he realised it was back to just being the two of them. "Dunno. Just…just panicked. Sorry."

Blaine cradled his face, the fingertips of his right hand brushing over the mark behind Kurt's left ear. "There's nothing to be afraid of here. Those four just want to be your friend as much as they are mine. In fact, most people will be happy to talk to you because they _want_ to and because they'll like you rather than shoving you into walls and lockers and dumping icy drinks over your head."

Kurt shrugged slightly, the doubt resurfacing as he glanced back at the door. "What if someone tries to attack me again?"

"Dalton isn't like McKinley," Blaine murmured, his thumb brushing over Kurt's cheekbone and catching the tears that slipped from Kurt's eyes. "You won't be alone while you're here, unless you ask to be. If someone sees you in trouble, they'll help you rather than look the other way. And that's if I don't tear whoever it is apart first."

"_Blaine_," Kurt automatically reprimanded with a scowl.

"That's more like the Kurt I love," Blaine grinned, kissing Kurt's nose and tugging him back into a hug. "You'll be okay here, I promise."

Kurt thought back on all the other promises made to him over the years and how little they'd meant in the end. But this was Blaine, this was his _mate_, and mates were more likely to keep promises, right?

"I'll try," Kurt finally whispered, still feeling nauseous with anxiety at the sudden influx of new faces and names he was going to have to deal with. He cuddled into Blaine's hold, his fears slowly abating as Blaine lapped at his marking until he felt so soothed he thought he might fall asleep on his feet.

"Do you think you can meet them now?" Blaine asked, his hands settling warm and steady on Kurt's hips.

Kurt nodded slowly. "You over-calmed me down," he protested weakly as Blaine slipped his fingers through the gaps in Kurt's and led him out of the room.

Blaine laughed softly as they walked down the corridor, past the staircase from earlier and to the other end of the dorms where an open sitting room of sorts was set up. Kurt stumbled to a stop behind Blaine, his fingers tightening as he peered over Blaine's shoulder.

"Wes and David, Nick and Jeff," Blaine pointed at each of the four boys in turn. Jeff gave an enthusiastic wave which Kurt shyly returned with a tiny scrunch of his fingers from beside Blaine's arm.

"It's wonderful knowing Blaine finally met someone who was his match," David said with a smile. "I think he was getting sick of being the fifth wheel with us."

"I'd never have admitted it," Blaine said with an exaggerated sniff that Nick and Jeff snorted at.

"Fifth wheel?" Kurt whispered against Blaine's shoulder, still wary of being too close.

"These four are in the Warblers. Wes and David mated years ago and Nick and Jeff were the two I told you about that I'd seen and made me more comfortable with coming out at Dalton again," Blaine explained.

"Like we didn't already know," Wes teased. "He's always had a bit of an obsession with my relationship with David and he used to hum Pink songs under his breath when he thought no one could hear him."

"Maybe I was just interested because you were so young!" Blaine protested.

Wes winked at Kurt and Kurt couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at his lips. "I was thirteen when I ran into David, so yes, we were young, but Blaine was constantly watching us after he'd transferred. It bordered on creepy."

David covered his chuckles and elbowed Wes to be quiet while Blaine tried to hide the redness of his face.

"Thirteen? Isn't that…um, unusual?" Kurt said as Blaine encouraged him towards one of the chairs. He bit his lip as his gaze swept across the other boys and Blaine squeezed his hand.

"They won't hurt you," he assured quietly.

Kurt swallowed his nerves as David talked about how you could mate from whenever puberty really started, so while thirteen _was_ sort of early to tie yourself to someone forever, it wasn't unheard of. He nodded as he listened, curling into Blaine's lap and feeling awfully clingy as Blaine pressed soft kisses to his mark to keep him calm.

"Do you ever doubt it? Like…" Kurt's fingers twitched where they were holding onto Blaine's sweater. "Like do you ever think you made the wrong decision?"

He watched as David and Wes exchanged a look and joined hands, which was mirrored by Nick and Jeff. They seemed so at ease and comfortable and almost _glowed_ with happiness. Would he ever feel like that?

"It's impossible to make a 'wrong' decision," Nick said finally. "I mean, technically I suppose there's more than one mate but you mate with each other because you _want_ to mate with each other. It's not like we were forced into this. If we didn't want it, we wouldn't have scented and exposed our animalistic side and had sex that left initials behind our ears, y'know?"

"Have you known people who have slept together but who didn't mate?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah. They had a baby last year," Kurt said, snuggling closer to Blaine as he thought of Quinn and Puck's disastrous relationship.

"That's because although they might have been attracted to one another, or maybe it was one-sided, it wasn't mutual. It wasn't meant to be a _mating_. It's impossible to fully understand how or why we choose who we do, but it's possible to have sex and not end up mated," Wes explained.

Kurt closed his eyes as he processed all the information, Blaine's hand tracing down his spine.

"You mated with Blaine because you wanted him and he wanted you, and because instinctively, at a level you can't even register, you were right for each other," Jeff said. Kurt's eyes flickered open and caught the dark brown staring back at him.

"What if someone wanted me but I didn't want them?" Blaine stiffened against him and he felt the anxiety twist his stomach.

"Then you wouldn't have mated," Wes said simply. "You can't be bound to someone you don't want. If you _know_ you don't want them consciously, then there's no way that deep down you really do. This isn't like childhood where pulling a girl's pigtails means you secretly crush on her, as opposed to just really hating her hair or her pigtails."

Jeff giggled. "I pulled on girl's pigtails when I was younger."

"How much younger? You still do that to your sister," Nick pointed out. Jeff pulled a face and jabbed Nick in the stomach.

Kurt smiled slightly. "So…so I couldn't have accidentally mated with someone?"

"No," Wes said firmly, his eyes drifting behind Kurt and Kurt wondered what Blaine's face looked like. He hadn't meant to bring this up with Blaine there but it just sort of spilled out because these boys obviously knew what they were talking about.

"So Kurt, are you going to join the Warblers?" Nick changed the subject abruptly. "We might have done a little research on the McKinley Glee club after you mated with Blaine…"

The conversation drifted between the Warblers and Dalton, the schedule of classes and teachers to watch out for. Occasionally a couple would wander past and give a wave to Blaine but Kurt's obvious tension made them keep walking without a full introduction. How was he going to handle school tomorrow with hundreds of foreign people around him?

His eyes gradually drooped shut, probably thanks to Blaine's almost constant touched to his mark, tiny licks and presses of his lips. His fall into the abyss of sleep felt like a merciful relief from the thoughts and worries swirling in his head and stomach.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke a couple of hours later to his stomach hurting. One of his feet had gone numb and he felt guilty because Blaine hadn't shifted since he'd dozed off so the sensation in his legs had probably disappeared completely. Nick was reclining into Jeff's chest and Wes' head was leaning on David's shoulder, their faces so utterly content that the immediate flutter of fear in Kurt's chest eased.<p>

"I think it must be nearly time for dinner," Wes suggested when Kurt's stomach audibly gurgled.

Kurt blushed and let Blaine manoeuvre him until he was between Blaine's legs and Blaine was whimpering in pain as the blood started to rush back to his limbs.

"Ow, ow, _ow_," he groaned, writhing and clenching his fingers into his thighs.

Kurt rubbed his hands over the quivering muscles in Blaine's legs, mumbling apologies at the agony Blaine was clearly feeling. Blaine waved his concerns off while the other four wandered away to get dinner. As soon as they were gone, Blaine pounced on Kurt, pushing him back into the cushions and kissing him, kissing him until Kurt was breathless and panting and shoving him away because he was desperately hungry and wanted _food_ right now, not sex.

"I'll get you later," Blaine promised, nipping at Kurt's neck and sliding his fingers across the soft skin of Kurt's stomach.

Kurt squeaked and kicked harder at getting Blaine off him. "I think I shall look forward to it," Kurt grinned, tumbling off the couch and taking Blaine with him in a tangled heap of limbs.

Blaine cracked up, laughing at the affronted look on Kurt's face at falling onto the floor.

"You're the _worst_," Kurt hissed, kissing Blaine's cheek and wriggling free. "I want _food_. Oh my _God_, would you stop laughing at me?"

Blaine's laughs turned to intermittent fits of giggles as he led Kurt towards the mess hall.

"You're not really the worst," Kurt mumbled, slipping his hand into Blaine's and twining their fingers together. "Because I love you too much."

Blaine smiled widely and kissed the mark behind Kurt's ear. "Love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** There's really not a lot I can say to apologise. I honestly hadn't realised it had been nearly a month. My bad, my bad, my bad.

Okay, so. YAY they're finally at Dalton ^_^ I love my Nick/Jeff relationships and the first chapter I had a request for Wes/David so I did my best to cover that one too. I hope it satisfies the curiosity over a few other paired boys and also where they sleep.

Next chapter is longer. I got frustrated with my assignment for uni and switched to writing the chapter that's been in my head for the last month. (Shh, I'm a bad student, I know, I know).

Here's the deal though.** If you've never read an author's note in your life, read this one.**

Those who follow my Tumblr (you should be, why aren't you?) will know that I set up a page on there last night for this story. It lists the characters and pictures of their animals (if we know what their animals are...I can't give away too much now, can I? ;) ) and also some pictures on where the markings are, so if you want to check that out, head to my Tumblr and scroll down the links on the left hand side to 'Marking a Mate' (alternatively, marking will take you there as well).

I have plans for this story. Well, not so much _this _story but this universe. I'm still trying to ascertain where the story should be finishing up (any suggestions, come at me!) but I imagine it will be soon. But don't fear, don't fret! What I'm moving towards is a secondary story, not quite a sequel, not quite a spin-off, which will be based on requests, reviews, prompts, Tumblr messages, whatever, that can focus on other elements of this universe. Want to know more about Burt and Julia? I might write it. Want to see Sebastian enter the story? I could do that too. Want to see children or Kurt and Blaine's future? That's on the cards. Each chapter will relate to this universe (obviously) but they won't be in any particular timetabled order. The lengths will vary, as will the updates (although I'd hazard a guess at no less messed up than this has been recently...again, sorry), but it would allow me to expand the story beyond just Kurt and Blaine and play with some of the ideas that many of you have thrown at me over the course of the last ten chapters.

I'd love to hear ideas for where _this _story should be wrapping up and suggestions for chapters in the other (there's no work started on it yet, but the working title in my head as 'Loving a Mate', so let's all just have an "awwww" moment..._awwwww_) and hear your feedback over the page on my blog. If you'd like to see things on there - more details, descriptions, elements of Lore, you name it - I can only know if you let me know. The burden is on _you_ (bwahaha, buck-passing).

Okay. Long author's note is long. I'm done for now! Next chapter will look at Kurt's first day as a Dalton student :) Love as always xo


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,894  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>The next morning dawned too early and Kurt spent a good twenty minutes whining at Blaine that he didn't want to get up and face anyone and couldn't they just stay in bed? Blaine appeased him with a few kisses and touches, before rolling away and searching for a pair of matching socks.<p>

"_Blaiiiiiiiiiine_."

"Come on. We need to get you up to the office so you can get your schedule and uniform," Blaine laughed, tossing clothes at Kurt.

"Don't you dare damage my clothes," Kurt huffed, scooping them off the bed and marching into the bathroom to shower and change.

Any excitement he'd had on the drive yesterday was being eroded by the anxiety that was running through his veins. He and Blaine had a hastily eaten breakfast of apple juice and toast before Wes, David, Jeff and Nick accompanied him and Blaine on the walk up to the main Dalton buildings.

"If you need anything…" Wes offered, his expression so damn earnest that Kurt wanted to touch his arm and assure him he'd be fine. Except he was practically shaking with fear and there weren't even that many people wandering the corridors yet.

"We'll see you at lunch," Blaine promised.

Kurt nearly snorted. He didn't think he'd make it to lunch, or to any of his classes after the first one even. There were too many people, too many scents, too much danger. It might be a zero-policy school and maybe Wes and David were safe because they were leaders of the Warblers, and Nick and Jeff because they were so happy and comfortable, but what about newly mated couples? Maybe he wasn't safe. Maybe he and Blaine were going to get thrown into a bank of old wooden lockers, or collide with one of the inevitably expensive statues, or shoved down a flight of stairs with the intention of breaking their necks, or-

"Hey, _hey_," Blaine said, turning him suddenly until his back was against the wall and he was staring into Blaine's eyes. "I promise you, I _promise_, Kurt. Dalton isn't like McKinley. You're safe here."

Kurt eyed him dubiously, watching people walk by who seemed to pay barely any attention to him.

"See? Are they bothering us? Have we been bothered so far?"

He didn't want to listen too much to Blaine, because while Blaine had clasped hands or high-fived a few people as they'd walked, he hadn't been able to focus on it. He was still too scared, and he _hated _himself for feeling so fragile.

"Kurt." Blaine's voice broke into his thoughts again and he tore his eyes away from wherever they'd been staring over Blaine's shoulder. "I get it, okay? I remember how scared I was when I transferred. Remember what happened to me, okay? I wouldn't make you promises that this place wasn't safe unless it _was_. I've seen it with my own eyes. There are lots of couples here, lots you haven't met yet, lots that I don't really know that well. We aren't the only gay pair. Wes and David, Nick and Jeff? They're okay here. They're safe. Nick's story isn't especially happy either, but he loves it here too." His hand reached up to cradle Kurt's face, the pads of his fingers brushing over the mark behind Kurt's ear. "If it wasn't safe here, we wouldn't tell you it was."

Kurt let his eyes close, trying to block out the feelings that were screaming _too much contact in school halls, stop it, stop it, stop it_. "I know that logically," he whispered, breathing in unsteadily. "I _know _that. But it's just hard to really _accept_."

"I know it is." Blaine's thumb drifted down his nose to his lips, and Kurt puckered them a little to kiss the finger. "You also know you need to face the fear, because running away from it is only going to make it harder to re-integrate yourself the more you put it off."

Kurt nodded slowly, his eyes blinking back open. _Still _no one seemed to be looking at them, even as they were so, so close and facing each other and Blaine's hand on his cheek in an intimate gesture.

"I'm just scared."

"I know, honey, I know," Blaine murmured, tugging Kurt into his arms. "I can feel it but I can't really stop your thoughts other than trying to reassure you that it'll be okay."

Kurt hid his face in Blaine's shoulder, clinging to his blazer and refusing to peek at anyone who might walk by and sneer at them. At McKinley, he figured they would have been multi-coloured by now after a deluge of slushies, maybe even a broken bone or two for being so touchy-feely. And yet here at Dalton, there hadn't even been an audible slur.

"Blaine?"

Kurt startled at the unfamiliar voice, pulling back and shrinking into the wall as a larger, taller boy bounded up to them.

"Is this Kurt?"

Blaine smiled encouragingly, reaching for Kurt's hand who loosely tangled his fingers amongst Blaine's. "Yes Trent. This is Kurt."

"Oh my God, he's so precious!" Trent exclaimed, grinning and bouncing from foot to foot. "I definitely approve. You're a lucky young man, Blaine. And you," his gaze shifted to Kurt, "you are equally as lucky. Blaine's a very popular guy."

Kurt gave a smile that was probably more of a grimace. Trent wasn't doing much to make him feel better or less territorial over Blaine. No one had said anything about touching and hugging in the halls, but did that extend as far as fucking them to expose ownership?

Blaine coughed lightly. "Kurt, stop whatever it is you're thinking."

Kurt flushed and ducked his head, which Trent laughed delightedly at and clapped his hands together like some crazy wind-up monkey.

"He's like a doll!"

"Well, my name is Hummel," Kurt muttered, shifting his body slightly closer to Blaine's

"Seriously?" Trent glanced wide-eyed back and forth between them. Blaine nodded. "I think they must have been named after you. You aren't a time-traveller or anything, are you? Like, this isn't some sort of Doctor Who world, right? Where you'll disappear on me and leave me alone?"

Blaine laughed, the sound so easy and bright that Kurt felt himself relax a fraction around Trent. "No, man. We all live in the here and now. Although I'm not so sure about Jeff when he's wired on cordial and gummy bears."

"This is true. He probably has enough energy to spring between dimensions." Trent nodded, rubbing his chin in contemplation. "We should set up an experiment to test the theory."

"I'm not sure Nick would appreciate that very much," Kurt said quietly.

"So now I need to figure out how to send _two _people through time and space? Great. Awesome. How can I do that?"

"Do it when they're connected," Blaine said, a mischievous look on his face.

"When they're-? Oh my _God_. No. _No_, Blaine. Bad Blaine. I didn't need that image in my head at _all_, dammit!" Trent muttered, poking Blaine in the shoulder. Kurt itched to slap Trent's hand away but fought to restrain himself. This was going to be a day filled with people brushing past Blaine. He couldn't get territorial.

"You'll have to excuse us, Mister Trent. Kurt and I were on our way to get his timetable and uniform," Blaine said with a silly little bow.

"Of course, of course. Will I be seeing Mister Kurt at a rehearsal soon?" Trent asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kurt blushed. "Maybe." Blaine gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Probably. Wes and Jeff seem pretty obsessed with the idea of me joining."

"We watched some of your performances on YouTube," Trent admitted with a conspiratorial glance over his shoulders. "You were _incredible_."

Kurt could feel himself squirming under the intensely fond gaze of Blaine and the teasing expression on Trent's face. "Blaine. Uniform. Schedule. Please?"

Blaine nodded. "See you soon, Nixon," he said, nudging Trent's shoulder as he pulled Kurt along with him down the halls. "See? Not so bad."

Kurt hummed but one good experience didn't negate the possibility of a hundred bad ones. He'd had it at McKinley before. What seemed like a ceasefire one week turned into an almost all-out war of attacks the next. It was going to take a lot of time to heal deeply embedded fears like those.

* * *

><p>It didn't seem to matter that Kurt shared most of his classes with Blaine, and the two that he didn't – French and History – were shared with Jeff and Trent. By the time lunchtime rolled around, he was barely able to focus on Blaine practically running into the lunch room and cradling him, his bag tossed somewhere under the table.<p>

"Talk to me. Look at me. _Shhh_," Blaine cooed, his fingers running through Kurt's hair as he rocked back and forth. Dimly, Kurt thought it was kind of ridiculous to say talk and then hush, but he knew what Blaine was trying to get at, because he was so wracked by terror that he couldn't think or operate his limbs properly as they shook beyond his control. "What happened?" Blaine said, looking between Jeff and Trent.

"I don't know," Trent apologised, twisting a napkin between his fingers. "He just stopped responding and we had to get him out of the room but it was a bit of an effort."

Nick walked over with a tray of food for him and Jeff, sitting opposite Blaine who was struggling to maintain his composure when the feelings belonging to Kurt were so overwhelming. Kurt's eyes timidly met Nick's through Blaine's arms, and something about the intrigued, curious look on Nick's face registered clearer in his mind than the words Blaine was saying in an attempt to calm him.

"You have classes with him the rest of the afternoon, yeah?" Nick asked, maintaining his eye-contact with Kurt as Jeff stole some of the food off the tray in front of him.

Blaine nodded, dropping his head down to press kisses to the top of Kurt's hair.

"Stay with him. Leave the classrooms later than everyone else, or ask to be let go a few minutes early so you can avoid the crush of the crowds. There are too many people and he's not handling it well." Nick's eyebrow raised at Kurt. "Are you?"

Kurt shook his head the tiniest bit, cuddling tighter into Blaine's body as he began to regain control over his breathing and shaking. Moving around the halls with or without Blaine had been _torture_. There were so many people touching him. They'd all been harmless, but he was waiting, just waiting, for someone to catch him off-guard and hurl him into a wall the way Karofsky or Azimio used to do. The prospect of getting to classes without shoving through the current of other boys sounded like a blessing, an option he didn't even consider was available to him until Nick had offered it.

By the end of lunch, he had managed to eat half a slice of pizza and an apple that David had gotten for him. Blaine was watching him with concern but he _did _feel better, even though he still wasn't participating in the discussions that flew back and forth between the Warbler boys that were sitting with them. The bell rang and Kurt jumped, the buzz of anxiety starting up again.

"Hey now, don't do that," Nick said, handing his tray to Jeff to dispose of and tilting his head to meet Kurt's eyes. "I'll wait here with you and Blaine. We have English together, did you know? So what if we're a little late? Markham's won't mind."

Kurt's smile was weak as Blaine wrapped an arm around his shoulders to hold Kurt into his side. When the bustle of bodies beyond the lunch hall abated, Blaine coaxed him to his feet while Nick chattered about the texts they'd studied so far and where they were up to in studying _Lord of the Flies_. Blaine was smiling gratefully as Nick continued to babble, skipping around them in dramatic representations of Ralph, Piggy and Jack's arguments. Kurt almost forgot why he was even anxious as they entered the classroom.

"Ahh, at last a chance to meet Mister Anderson's mate." Kurt assumed it was Markham's, a female teacher in her forties who had apparently decided to wear the most hideous skirt Kurt had ever seen. "Welcome and take a seat. I'll find you a book and some of the notes to catch up on."

There were three seats left, seated together on the other side of the room. Kurt figured it had to be deliberate but couldn't quite grasp that the other Dalton boys had done so to be considerate and keep the mates together. It seemed, to Kurt, such a ridiculous notion that others were going out of their way to be supportive.

The rest of the day passed in a similar manner. Blaine would stay with Kurt until the rush of students began to die down and together they'd walk to class. It was far from ideal, and certainly not a solution that could be maintained indefinitely, but for now, Kurt's anxiety wasn't as out-of-control as it had been that morning.

* * *

><p>"You survived."<p>

Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine as he hung up his blazer and grabbed at his pyjamas. "Congratulations to me for having multiple meltdowns though. Hurray. Day is over. One down, a hundred more to go."

"Hey." Blaine frowned as he hopped off the bed and pressed his hands into Kurt's waist. "Don't be negative about this. I know how hard it was for you to face that. I know how tempting it can be to throw it all in and want to be home-schooled, but you kept your head high and made it to all your classes except the first one because we were sorting everything out." His thumbs pressed into the softness of Kurt's hipbones. "That's something to be proud of, not beat yourself up over."

"What if I can't get over it though? What if-" Kurt swallowed roughly as his voice cracked, tears shimmering in his eyes. "What if he broke me and I'm going to live in fear forever now?"

Blaine shook his head, moving his hands to cup Kurt's face and hold it steady so he could stare into Kurt's eyes. "You won't. I won't let you. What Karofsky did to you… It's so rare. It's so unusual. It's not going to happen here and it's unlikely to happen again. Assaults on marked people… Well, it usually leads to their deaths by the mate."

"Blaine."

"What? It does!" Blaine shrugged, tilting Kurt's face so he could kiss Kurt's forehead. "But I realise you don't want me to leave him in a pile of bloodied limbs so I will respect that and choose to reassure you that it's going to be okay."

Kurt sighed, his eyes blurring as Blaine's forehead rested against his own. "Do you think if I hadn't mated, it would still have happened?"

Blaine's posture stiffened and Kurt wanted to take back the words he'd said. He didn't blame Blaine. He didn't resent him. It wasn't _his _fault this had happened.

"I don't know," Blaine said finally, kissing Kurt's nose. "I don't know him. I don't know what he is capable of, or what he could have done. But you know what? I also don't want to think about it, and I'm glad neither of us had to find out, because whatever might have happened, if you'd been alone – without a mate – it could have created a lot more problems that it already has."

"Like what?"

Blaine pulled back, turning away to look out the window. "I can't speak for you. I know you well but it's a what if that doesn't have an answer, that doesn't _need _an answer. I can only speak from experience that I've seen it happen and it's not something I like to think of my mate dealing with, alright?"

Kurt glanced down at his pyjamas and dropped them on the bed, walking over to Blaine and sliding his arms around Blaine's waist, his chin hooking over Blaine's shoulder to look out the window too. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I just-"

"I know, I know, I get it," Blaine said, quiet but firm. "It'll take time. I respect that. I'm not going to push you. I'm not _able _to push you. But the idea of you being hurt like that…I can't even think about it."

"Okay," Kurt murmured, far from being done with the questions but knowing that Blaine was drawing a line in what he could handle and realising that if he needed answers, maybe Kurt had to ask someone else. "I love you?"

Blaine twisted in his arms, a playful smile on his face even though there were glistening tear tracks on his cheeks. "Why is that a question?"

"Because I wasn't sure what to say?"

Blaine's lips lightly touched Kurt's, chaste and undemanding. "Telling me you love me is never a bad thing to say."

"So even if we're like, ripping each other's limbs off in frustration, I could shout '_I love you_' and it would make it all okay?"

Blaine nosed at Kurt's jaw until his tongue could lick over the marking behind his ear. "You really like dealing in hypotheticals, don't you baby?"

Kurt's fingers tightened into the fabric at the small of Blaine's back. "What if I stopped posing possibilities and we took all our clothes off and had sex like I was thinking of doing this morning in front of Trent?"

Blaine paused and then erupted into laughter, pulling back for a moment to catch his breath and then dissolving into giggles again.

"What did I say _this _time?" Kurt pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I _knew_ I felt a spark of arousal and desire. I _knew _it," Blaine explained, trying to keep a straight face. "And I started thinking of the look on Trent's face and how he'd probably want to join in instead of be horrified, as you probably would hope."

Kurt pulled a face. "He wouldn't really."

"Kurt, honey." Blaine stifled a snort at the look that was apparently on his face. "Trent's been chasing me since I transferred to Dalton. Maybe he thought I'd change my mind and mate with him."

Kurt felt a surge of territorialism tingle through his veins, mixed in with a suitable dose of fear. What if Trent hurt Blaine? What if Trent attacked Blaine like Karofsky had attacked him? What if Trent attacked _him _as a means to get to Blaine?

"_Kurt_." Blaine shook his shoulders. "Trent…oh God, Kurt. Trent's animal is a _mouse_, okay? Rather than be scared the first time he exhibited signs around me, I burst into laughter and he ran away in tears. It was really quite embarrassing for both of us." Blaine's lips twitched at the memory. "He's as harmless as a fly and he told me on the Monday when I was here that as much as it pained him that I hadn't returned his feelings, he just wanted me to be happy and content with my mate. He's not a threat."

Kurt blinked, carefully considering what Blaine had just told him. "Hold on, a _mouse_?"

Blaine started laughing again and Kurt heard his own helpless giggles spill from his lips.

When they'd calmed down, Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt's neck. "I love you," Blaine said, his cheek rubbing gently against Kurt's. "I love you so much."

In response, Kurt purred softly into Blaine's ear.

"Why is that such a turn-on?" Blaine muttered, his fingers drifting down Kurt's back, over his hips and then to his chest, where he swiftly unbuttoned Kurt's shirt. "I don't understand it."

Smiling delightedly, Kurt purred louder until Blaine shifted him to the bed and he squealed as he fell onto the mattress, screeching at Blaine to _get off, oh no, please, stop, tickles, help, oh God_, but Blaine was damned relentless in his tickling and pinching of Kurt's sides until Kurt managed to get enough leverage between them to shove Blaine off him. He could see Blaine was hard in his slacks, knew that even though the tickling kind of hurt, Blaine's hands on his skin was better than anything else.

He wriggled out of his own slacks, discarding them by the bed as he crawled on top of Blaine's body. Blaine hummed in approval, his fingers skimming over the soft expanse of Kurt's skin and leaving trails of warmth and chilled goosebumps rising to the surface.

"I'm in too many clothes," Blaine complained suddenly. Kurt wholeheartedly agreed, helping Blaine out of his clothes until they were both naked and Kurt was laying against Blaine, his tail wrapping around Blaine's wrist while he listened to the steady pound of Blaine's heart beneath his ear. "I love you."

Kurt kissed Blaine's chest as he sat back up again, letting their erections slide together against Blaine's stomach absently. "I love you too."

"So I'm just gonna…" Blaine wrapped his arms and legs around Kurt and rolled, flipping them over as Kurt shrieked in surprise. "Much better," Blaine nodded, kissing Kurt as he encouraged Kurt to bend his knees and raise his hips. "So beautiful."

Kurt could feel the flush in his cheeks, could see the pink of his skin in the light of the bedroom, but his inhibitions were fading as Blaine's fingers began to slide within him, warm and soothing, pleasure-pain building until he was pleading with Blaine for more.

"Shhh," Blaine hushed, one hand splayed across Kurt's lower back while the other guided his cock to Kurt's entrance. Their simultaneous breaths of relief as he slid in, deep and smooth, made Blaine seriously reconsider exactly _why _he had to attend school when he could just spend his days having sex with Kurt.

Kurt whimpered a little, rolling his hips as he adjusted, and between Blaine's wet but sinfully good kisses and the steady slip-slide of Blaine's damp skin against his, he soon forgot about the anxiety of the day, of everything else that could go wrong, as he lost himself in Blaine's eyes, Blaine's kisses, Blaine's touches.

When Blaine's hand wrapped loosely around his cock, his tongue teasing at Kurt's mark, it felt like a fire had erupted beneath his skin. "S-shit Blaine, I'm…God, c-close, I-"

"I've got you," Blaine promised, his mouth moving lower to suck a hickey into Kurt's throat. "I've got you, baby."

He alternatively purred and whined, his back arching as he sought more even though he felt like he was going to snap into pieces at any moment.

Surprisingly, he felt Blaine come moments before he did, Blaine's mouth covering his in a messy, desperate kiss as the tremors of pleasure burned along his nerves.

"I love you," Blaine whispered, again and again between kisses and licks over his neck, his mark, his face.

Kurt stretched out his limbs as Blaine relaxed into his chest, ignoring the mess in favour of the more pressing urge to cuddle. "I love you too."

His chest rumbling in contentment, Blaine's fingers found his. When Blaine's body had settled, he slid free of Kurt's body and cuddled him close as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Well at least it didn't take a month this time! *lamely fist-bumps self*

I hope Kurt's first day seemed acceptable and believable, and you laughed as much as I did over Trent being a mouse. Next chapter has their first real argument and a little bit of delving into Nick, because I have a problem with liking Nick more than is normal (probably due to my adoration for Curt which increased exponentially after he RT'd me, who knows).

I've hit a minor roadblock in writing out chapter fifteen, but I figure I can probably afford to put this up because I'm frustrated with myself at the moment and maybe in the morning my inbox will be filled with lovely encouragement..._hinthint_.

Thank you for supporting my forays with this strange story and I shall see you all next chapter! (I hope you'll be back next chapter?)


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,263  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Thursday morning, Kurt and Blaine were running late because Kurt had deliberately switched off the alarm in the hopes that Blaine would let them miss classes. He'd barely gotten through Tuesday or yesterday, even with moving to class earlier or later than everyone else. He remembered times that he'd be trying to dodge the jocks and think he was alone and then <em>bam<em>, he was hurled up against a locker. He couldn't shake the fear that it was going to happen here, regardless of how often Blaine reassured him.

"I can't _believe _you," Blaine hissed as he held tighter to Kurt's hand and ran to Calculus.

"I didn't-"

"I _know _what you didn't want." Blaine's eyes were dark with anger and Kurt felt a twinge of fear. "If you want to stay in bed and throw your educational opportunities away, that's fine. But don't destroy my education too!"

Kurt stumbled to a stop, his hand ripping free of Blaine's.

"What-" Blaine whirled around, his face falling. "Kurt…Oh God, I'm sorry…"

Kurt was shaking his head, wrapping his arms across his waist. "Just go. I…I'm not going to classes today. I'll…be in the dorms or something."

He managed to ignore the broken look on Blaine's face as he turned and fled, tears hopelessly blurring his vision as he sprinted across the grounds back to his room, _their_ room. His bag skittered across the floor, the slamming of the door echoed down the corridor, the flick of the lock sounding loud amidst the silence punctuated only by his sobs.

He fell onto the bed, except the blankets and pillows smelled of him and Blaine, which only upset him further so he rolled onto the floor where the wool-polyester blend scratched at his face. But at least it didn't smell like Blaine.

It wasn't… It wasn't about trying to destroy Blaine's education. Or his own. The fear was just so _overwhelming_. He was sick of feeling so panicked and weak by the time lunch came, sick of struggling to stay focused in his classes when he was too focused on the people around him and what the chance of being attacked by them was. Just a day, another day, to stay in bed with Blaine like they'd done last week…

Except Blaine was right. Kurt had been in the midst of transferring so missing school didn't matter. But Blaine had taken several days off and Kurt had already established Dalton was homework-intensive and high levels of stress. It wasn't fair to expect that Blaine would want to keep skipping class too.

He cried until he couldn't anymore, curling up on the uncomfortable floor because the thought of smelling Blaine's scent would have set him off in a fit of tears again if he'd had the energy left. His eyes closed, burning and itching, his breath still hitching occasionally, as the blanket of exhaustion crept over his body and he drifted asleep.

* * *

><p>He woke with a jerk, frowning for a moment as he wondered why he was on the floor.<p>

And then it came back to him and his heart clenched painfully.

His eyes still felt raw and he went to rub them before the noise that must have startled him awake repeated itself.

"Kurt? Are you in there?"

He stumbled to his feet, half-crawling across the floor as his fingers found the lock and got the door open.

"I'm going to assume you'll let me in now?"

"Sure. Whatever." Kurt grasped the handle at the same time as it twisted open.

He caught sight of Nick's shoes before Nick's face swam into view as Nick crouched in front of him. "So. Hey."

Kurt sat up so his back was against the wall beside the door. Nick shut it and leant against the wall opposite. "Why did-"

"I'm here because Blaine's too upset," Nick explained quietly. "I'm here because I-" He paused, frowned. "I'm here because I understand the fear. I know Blaine's story, and I know you know Blaine's story. But I imagine he's kept his silence on mine."

Kurt pressed his lips into a thin line but raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm not telling you it. Not now, not yet." Kurt dropped his gaze back to the hands twisting in his lap. "Blaine told me a little about what happened at McKinley because he knows I understand it. I've been where you are, Kurt. I've had the same fears of walking the corridors, expecting someone to hurt me at any moment."

Kurt peeked up through his lashes. He wanted to know more, so much more, but Nick was guarding himself carefully as he gazed steadily back at Kurt.

"It took me a long time to get past that fear. I won't lie to you because it wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty." A tiny smile lifted one of the corners of his mouth. "Jeff was amazing. Maybe it's a mate thing or maybe it was just Jeff. But Blaine and I aren't lying to you. Dalton is safe. Jeff and I have never heard a bad word, except maybe a few hoots for _more_making out."

Kurt felt his face heat and he ducked it back down.

"Wes and David have never been hurt, and they've been mated a lot longer than Jeff and me. There are others in the dorm here that are gay-mated. There are a couple of girls upstairs even. When they say zero-tolerance, they mean it. You're _safe_ here."

Kurt chewed a thumbnail as he stared at the carpet. "But what if-"

"It doesn't happen," Nick said immediately. "You don't get thrown into lockers. You don't get shoved into walls. You don't have people try and k-"

"_Don't_," Kurt said sharply. "Don't say it. _Don't_."

"Okay." Nick held up his hands and nodded. "I won't, but the message is there, right? It doesn't happen. What you've experienced? It's terrible and it shouldn't have happened. But it gets better. It _is_ better here, but you have to give it a go. You can't skip classes or turn the alarm off or run away, because it's only going to get harder if you do. The short war gets harder the longer you avoid the long battle."

"I'm not sure that makes sense… Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"No, because the war against fear is short if you face up to it. It can be over and done with as long as you face up and you fight and you don't shut out the people who want to help you." He touched the tips of Kurt's toes that were within his reach. "But the battle will go on and on the more you run away."

Kurt blinked. "I think I understand. Maybe?"

Nick half-smiled. "The point is that you turn up to your classes. You avoid the crowds but because you want to, not because you _need _to. I know how scary it can be with all those bodies, not knowing if someone will grab you while you're distracted," and he was just _too _knowing for Kurt's tastes as their eyes met, "but no one will hurt you here."

It was easy to _know_ but it wasn't so easy to _believe_. Still, he gave Nick a weak smile. "So um…don't you have classes or something?"

Nick glanced at his watch. "Yeah. Soon. I have a study period now. Do you want to walk back up to English with me?"

The thought of classes and seeing Blaine before they could talk made him feel sick. Was he meant to act normal? Was he meant to be hurt? He'd never had a fight with anyone that meant as much to him as Blaine, except maybe his father, and that had led to a heart attack. What if Blaine-

"Hey, Blaine's _fine_," Nick interrupted, shifting to kneel in front of Kurt. "He's going to _be _fine too. He's already forgiven you for switching off the alarm. He just didn't know if you'd open the door to him so he sent me to be his stupid messenger boy." Nick rolled his eyes but his grin was teasing, conspiratorial. "If you can make it to class, I guarantee Blaine will be grabbing at your hand and spending most of the lesson apologising to you rather than watching Markham dance around the room in her latest multi-coloured outfit."

Kurt bit his lip as he debated his options. "I think I…I don't want to go. But…can you apologise to him? Tell him I'll be here when class gets out."

Nick shook his head playfully. "I'm not a damn messenger pigeon last time I checked. I'll have to get Jeff to check next time we-"

"_Okay_, that's enough!" Kurt said shrilly, clamping his hands over his ears. "Too much information! Stop! Get out! I don't have enough bleach for those ideas!"

Nick's grin made the edges of his eyes crinkle as he lightly touched Kurt's knee and gathered up his bag from beside the door. "This isn't a lover's tiff where you can break-up or something. Fights still happen, but it'll be okay. It always is. David and Wes have had some crazy ones. Wes has thrown so many things at David's head I'm surprised it's still attached sometimes. But they always make up in the end."

"Okay, seriously, details I don't really want to think about right now, _thanks_."

Nick gave a quick wave before shutting the door behind him, the quiet tread of his footsteps fading as he moved further down the corridor.

Now that his immediate freak out was fading, Kurt could feel the itch behind his ear that kind of felt like someone was brushing a feather against his skin. Except from the inside. It was uncomfortable and irritating, feeling like creepy crawly bugs were creeping along his veins. He took a few deep breaths, calming his heart and mind as much as he could. He had no idea if it would work, but he tried thinking about forgiveness and love, trying to let Blaine know he was okay and _they _would be okay. He wasn't sure if it worked, or if maybe Nick had found him and explained the situation, but the sensation eased enough that he could pull out some of his unfinished homework from the night before so he didn't have even _more_to catch up on after missing today's classes.

* * *

><p>His eyes scrunched as he stirred awake, the paper of his exercise book crinkling against his cheek. He sat up, his mouth tasting foul and ink smudges dotting his hands. He probably had ink on his face too. How attractive.<p>

He scratched at the base of his neck as he stared at the homework, the scribble across the page where he'd fallen asleep still holding the pen. Sighing, he abandoned the work and went to the bathroom to wash his hands and, yep, nice blue ink stains on his face.

The splash of the water and the whine of the pipes drowned out Blaine opening the door. He shrieked a little when he saw Blaine's face in the reflection over his shoulder.

"Jesus Christ." He clutched a hand to his heart, struggling to steady the speed that it had started racing to.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered. He stepped in behind Kurt, his hands hesitant on Kurt's waist as he stared steadily back at Kurt in the mirror. "I'm sorry for scaring you and I'm sorry for this morning and I'm sorry I didn't have the damn guts to come and talk to you at lunch and sent Nick instead."

Kurt dropped his gaze back to the sink and his damp hands. He couldn't say it was okay, but he couldn't resent Blaine for it either. He shut off the water and gripped the edge of the counter.

Blaine moved closer, his front pressing up against Kurt's back, his chin hooking over Kurt's shoulder. "I know you're probably hurt and mad. I know I would be. I don't know how to make it up to you. I'd sleep on the floor for a month if I had to, because we don't have a couch."

"You don't have to do that."

"Well, that's good. I thought I'd probably have to set up an appointment with a chiropractor in advance."

Kurt didn't move or react, tears blurring his vision again. God, he was so _sick _of crying today.

"Don't cry. _Please_ don't cry," Blaine begged, but it was too late. The tears were already streaking his cheeks in glistening lines.

"You reminded me of him. When you…got mad. This morning." He choked down a breath and felt Blaine's hands slip around his waist to cover his stomach.

"Who? Karofsky?"

Kurt nodded and wiped roughly at his face. "Your eyes got so d-dark and I hadn't seen that before. I h-hadn't seen you get angry at _me_ and I…I just… It scared me."

Blaine hid his face against Kurt's neck as he whimpered softly. "I'm sorry. I'm _so_, so sorry."

Kurt tilted his head back to rest against Blaine's, the nearly silent sobs of Blaine overwhelming him.

"I'm so sorry. Please, _please_ believe me."

"I do." Kurt twisted in Blaine's hold to wrap his arms around Blaine's neck and press their bodies together. "I do. Don't cry."

Blaine hiccupped and snuffled at Kurt's shoulder. "This isn't even about _me_." He shook himself free, using the back of his sleeve to wipe his nose. "God, I upset _you_. I shouldn't be crying."

Kurt touched a hand to Blaine's face. "I can't… What you said this morning? It hurt. I can't deny that." Blaine's breathing hitched as he bit hard on his lower lip. "But I realise that what I did was wrong. Even if I didn't want to go to class, it's no reason to expect you to skip classes too. A-and you were right that I can't run away. Nick said the same thing. Running isn't a solution."

Kurt's thumb caught the tear that dripped from Blaine's eye.

"I-" Kurt paused and frowned, gently adjusting Blaine's face until their eyes met. "I don't know if it's the mating or the fact I need you so much but I still love you. That never changed."

Blaine started to tear up again, moving his head so he could kiss Kurt's palm. He kissed it again and again until Kurt tugged at his cheek and he turned back. Kurt was a lot closer, so close Blaine's eyes crossed trying to focus on him.

"I love you," Blaine said, his voice cracking.

Kurt didn't respond, not verbally, because he pressed his lips to Blaine's. It was chaste, kind of like a first kiss might go, filled with nerves, hesitancy and shyness. The pressure increased slightly before Kurt pulled back, the warmth of his exhaled breath tickling Blaine's mouth. His gaze flickered up from Blaine's mouth to his eyes and Blaine felt completely lost in the emotions swirling there.

Thumbs digging in to Kurt's waist, he tilted his head and kissed Kurt again. And again. And again. Until Kurt was trembling and tangling his fingers into the base of Blaine's neck, clutching him closer, the kisses turning more fervid, more desperate, as Blaine licked his way into Kurt's mouth.

Kurt's nails scratched at Blaine's hair, arching away to catch his breath. "I need you."

Blaine growled, catching Kurt's lower lip between his teeth. "C'mon. Bed."

Kurt nodded as Blaine barely let him move, clothes scattering across the floor until they were tumbling onto the bed, skin soft but heated as Blaine's mouth drifted over the dusting of fur on Kurt's collarbone and Kurt slipped his leg over Blaine's hip.

"_Blaine_."

"It's okay," Blaine murmured, tucking their bodies together and rolling until Kurt was propped up against his chest.

Kurt flicked his rough tongue along Blaine's throat, who groaned beneath him. His hands stroked along Kurt's thighs as Kurt wriggled back, his hand holding Blaine's erection and letting his body sink down until he was seated completely.

Blaine made a noise, part gurgle, part groan, as pulled Kurt's mouth to his. He could feel Kurt's cock against his stomach, the tight squeeze of the muscles in his ass as his fingers sought Kurt's and linked them together.

"I love you. _I love you_," he panted, his hands so tightly gripped in Kurt's that they felt tingly with blood loss.

Kurt nodded in agreement, hips rocking and sliding back and forth, chest glistening with sweat as strands of his hair fell into his eyes.

Blaine couldn't help himself as he kept repeating the words, unable to tear his eyes away from Kurt's, unable to do anything but let Kurt grind him into the mattress, unable or unwiling to do anything but watch the flex of Kurt's stomach and feel the ripple of his thighs as he moved.

Kurt narrowed his eyes, thinking back to earlier when he'd felt how Blaine was feeling and how he'd tried to influence that. His motions slowed to an almost-stop, Blaine erupting into protests before he covered Blaine's mouth with his hand, as he tried to focus on…something. He didn't even know what it was he was doing, if it would even work, but he tried to imagine his love and desire and pleasure and everything else he could focused on the mark behind his ear, until Blaine was gasping and writhing beneath him.

"K-_Kurt_, I- What-"

He gritted his teeth, wondering if it was meant to be so hard, not even sure what he was even doing, but Blaine was thrusting up, his head pressed sharply into the pillows behind it, the tendons in his neck exposed. Kurt couldn't help it, leaning down to scrape his teeth and lick and bite. He shuddered as a surge of pleasure slammed into him, claws pricking the skin of Blaine's hand.

"I- _Fuck_," Blaine grunted, his body snapping into Kurt's twice before Kurt could feel the warmth of Blaine's release, the uncontrollable shaking in his muscles as he came. Another bolt of pleasure ripped through him and he gasped into Blaine's neck as he followed Blaine over the edge.

They laid tangled together long after Blaine had softened, touching each other's marks and gazing into each other's eyes.

"So I'm going to stay here rather than the prospect of the floor," Blaine whispered, a teasing grin on his lips.

"At some point we need to move. I need a shower and I didn't eat lunch and I'm sure there's homework."

Blaine wrinkled his nose, kissing below Kurt's ear, a breath tickling over his mark. "Can't we just stay here forever?"

Kurt snorted at the wheedling tone Blaine used. "No, honey. Weren't you saying just this morning about the importance of our education?"

Blaine flushed. "I truly am sorry you know."

"I know." Kurt stroked his fingers over Blaine's chest, curving his hand against Blaine's shoulder. "I know."

They eventually got up to shower. Kurt rinsed out the gel Blaine insisted on using as they swayed under the warmth of the spray. They ate dinner together at a separate table, but Kurt met Nick's gaze and dipped his head in thanks. Nick nodded back. Blaine shared out the sheets of homework and they completed them slowly but methodically, sharing light touches and kisses at intermittent moments.

It was quiet as they curled up to sleep, Kurt forgoing his shirt so their chests could press together and Blaine's fingers could dance over his skin, soothing him to sleep long before he thought he'd be relaxed enough to drift off.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **My bad, I forgot I had this spare chapter and should have uploaded it sooner. Please hold back on the tomatoes? *ducks behind Captain America's shield anyway*

I told you the fight was something fairly silly and over within the one chapter!

Alright, a few (quick) notes.

First, you might have realised by now that Kurt and Blaine appear to be in most of the same classes. I realise that there are times Blaine appears in senior classes at McKinley (scenes with Puck, Mike and Brittany, for instance, and Kurt in the finale). But in this story, **Kurt and Blaine are the same age/grade** (I mean, obviously there's birth months between them but you know what I mean). Kurt, Blaine, Trent, Nick and Jeff are Juniors, Thad, Wes and David are Seniors. They're my only Warblers thus far, because I don't want to start naming the others because I'll get them confused with the other massive Warbler fic I started a year ago.

Second, Nick has made some allusions to his history in this chapter, and at first I wasn't sure if I would build on that more here or not. However, it took me several days a few weeks back but **most of how Nick and Jeff met has been written** and will form one of the one-shot chapters in the alternative side-story when that gets up and going. At last check, it wasn't finished and was approaching twelve thousand words, so...WHOOPS that got away from me a little..but by all means, you're still welcome to give me your theories :D

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand third, and the awful one. Unfortunately, my uni semester will finish within the next month (WOOHOO, although I still have three more semesters to go before my degree is done...dammit) which means that **I have a crapton of work between now and the end of June** (plus three days of prac in a school, I've spent two days in the past two weeks in a primary school and holy hell, the energy required!). In between my five major assessments, I also have a Tumblr friend coming across the country (HAI CASS BABY! *excited squeals*) and so I'll probably be studying in-between seeing her. So basically, **my ability to write will be nearly zero**. I have one more spare chapter that I'll try and upload sometime in the next 2-3 weeks to tide you over, and AFBAON has a chapter that might go up in about a week or so, but that will pretty much be it from me in terms of writing here and even drabble stuff for Tumblr. But as far as I know, you're all wonderful and supportive and will stick with me (...please stick with me? *puppy dog eyes*) and then I will try and get lots and lots done during my (unreasonably short) break before I dive back into another semester of uni and prac (I wish it was summer holidays again and I could get a few months off!).

PHEW. Okay. I think that's it. Thank you as always for your amazing support and readership and those of you who take the time to review will know how grateful I am when I respond to you each time. Hopefully I will see you on the flip-side of when this semester finally ends!


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,067  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>"Will you come to Warblers practice with me tonight?"<p>

Kurt dropped his fork with a clatter. "What?"

"We haven't really had a rehearsal this week but Wes," Blaine glanced down the table and shot the boy in question a dark look, "is insisting that it's been long enough without me in the mix and Sectionals is approaching."

"You're already rehearsing for Sectionals?"

"New Directions weren't?"

Kurt couldn't smother his laughter fast enough. "Mr Schue seems to have a philosophy that it will all come together at the last minute so we don't start preparing until the week of."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Well, that explains why you lost Regionals last year."

It stung, but it was the truth. Kurt had tried telling his idiot teacher to rehearse more last year. He had tried telling Rachel to stop singing solos and prepare bigger numbers for a competition. Of course, no one listened to him or agreed with his thoughts.

"So the Warblers prepare earlier?" Kurt said, poking at his omelette.

"_Much _earlier." Blaine bit at his toast. "Wes and David have been making up arrangements since before the summer holidays. They email song selections to us to practice or we set up Skype dates with as many as possible to view possible choreography."

Kurt dropped his fork again. "You're not _serious_?"

Jeff leaned over from where he'd been talking to David on his other side. "I couldn't help overhearing, but yes, Blaine is serious. They're a little…obsessed."

"That's putting it mildly, but yes," Blaine nodded.

It sounded utterly ridiculous to Kurt but it was still pleasing to him that there were people that actually _did _take competition seriously. He'd have to email Rachel sometime and tell her that his ideas had just as much merit as hers.

Actually, he shouldn't do that. Then New Directions might rehearse more and win and he didn't want to crush his mate's Glee club like that. His allegiance was to Blaine and Dalton now, not McKinley.

"Kuuuuuuuuuurt."

He glanced up and smiled apologetically at Blaine. "Sorry, what?"

"You never actually answered if you'd come to the rehearsal this afternoon."

"Oh." He should go. He wasn't a member but he sort of had a right to be there because of Blaine, and he should try to meet some of the other boys. It was all about fighting the fear, right? "Sure. Is it after class?"

Blaine grinned and nodded, bouncing in his seat with excitement. "Starts at four so we have about an hour to dump bags or get snacks or whatever."

"I'll let Dad know we won't be home for dinner then."

Blaine's face fell. "I totally forgot-"

"No, it's okay. I didn't really want to go home this weekend anyway. This just gives me a good excuse."

Blaine chewed his lower lip. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Kurt reached across the table, tangling his fingers with Blaine's. "I want to see what you boys can really do."

Blaine's smile was shy and Kurt thought it looked unfairly adorable.

* * *

><p>Burt wasn't overwhelmingly supportive of missing Friday night dinner – and Kurt couldn't blame him when he recalled what had happened last time he'd refused to attend – but he was forced into realising that Kurt's life had changed and adjustments had to be made to their traditional plans.<p>

"Just don't miss next week too, okay?"

"I promise," Kurt said, squeezing Blaine's hand as he was led through the corridors to class. He pocketed the phone, leaning in to Blaine's side.

"He wasn't mad, was he?"

Kurt shrugged and shifted the weight of his bag on his shoulder. "I guess a little. Last time I didn't go… Well, he ended up in a coma for a week."

Blaine stopped in the middle of the corridor. "What?"

"I didn't tell you?" Blaine shook his head, clearly alarmed. "Oh. Well. Yeah. He um… He had a pretty bad heart attack. They didn't think he was going to make it."

He startled when Blaine pulled him into a hug, kissing at his marking anxiously. "Blaine?"

"I just… So much could have been different if he'd died."

"I know, I know," Kurt assured, rubbing his hand across Blaine's back. "But he didn't and it's okay. I'm here."

"You are." Blaine nipped at his earlobe before pulling back. "And the bell is about to go and we're no closer to Physics."

Kurt swallowed and started walking a little faster, his hand sliding back to Blaine's and gripping it tight. It was the last class of the day but he still hadn't quite managed the crowds yet. He was trying though. He _was_. He hadn't had the same level of panic attack as Monday at all through the week and he saw that as an improvement. Most of today, he'd kept thinking about Nick the day before and wondering what his story was and how he'd moved beyond it. The bubbling anxiety in his gut made him wonder if he could _ever_ get over it.

The bell rang, sharp and shrill (_much like Rachel_, Kurt thought cruelly) and he automatically stepped closer to Blaine, huddling under his arm as a swell of blue and red began to close around him. The Dalton boys weren't loud, not like McKinley, but their uniforms made it difficult to tell who was who at a glance. At McKinley, he could catch a glimpse of someone's outfit and know who it was, know how to step away. Uniforms at McKinley meant Cheerios or jocks. Uniforms meant danger. Dalton turned that on its head because no one hurt him and yet everyone was an equal threat. They were anonymous among the uniforms.

"Shh, come on. You're doing great," Blaine murmured in his ear, steering him through the crowds as easily as possible. Kurt could feel the nerves clawing at his throat but he swallowed them down, ducked his head and kept moving.

They arrived at Physics on time, earning a surprised brow raise from the teacher until he noticed Kurt's flushed face and the way he was basically clinging to Blaine's arm.

"Do you boys, uh, need a moment?" Dr Forbes asked.

Blaine looked at Kurt, smoothing a hand through his hair as Kurt lifted his eyes to Blaine's.

"I'll be fine, sir," he said quietly with a determined glint in his eye. Blaine kissed his forehead as Forbes shooed them to their seats.

Kurt wanted to shift Blaine's hand off his knee but it was hard to actually do so when it felt so calming. He was pleased that it never really moved either. Blaine seemed to understand that they were in class so it just stayed, steady and firm, occasionally squeezing, but just _there_, a constant touch that soothed his rattled nerves. When the end of Physics came, he hadn't even realised so much time had passed.

"So…we have an hour," Blaine said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That we do. I should get started on that paper for Social Studies or maybe-"

His babbling was cut off by Blaine's lips on his, Blaine's hands cradling his face and jaw, Blaine's tongue tracing his upper lip. He whined softly, grabbing at Blaine's wrists until Blaine withdrew.

"Not _here_," he hissed, his eyes glancing around the room even though it was empty. He was so used to hiding at McKinley. Kisses like _that _were only exchanged among the more sickening couples like Rachel and Finn, who tried to force themselves on each other even though they weren't mated and, Kurt suspected, had missed the opportunity to if it wasn't reciprocated. It made it a lot easier to know Rachel wouldn't Finn after the embarrassingly large amount of time he'd spent chasing around after Finn the year before.

"Then back at our room?" Blaine said, fingers teasingly light on the skin of his neck.

Kurt could feel his cheeks pinking. "Blaine, we _can't_."

Blaine pulled back like he'd been burned. "Why not?"

"It'll take five to ten minutes to get there and the same to walk back, so that leaves us forty minutes. You can be knotted up to fifteen minutes, so that leaves twenty five. We need at least ten to get in and out of clothes so do you really think you can touch and be hard enough to get off in fifteen minutes?"

Blaine's smile was so wide that his teeth glinted. "I do believe that you're challenging me and I have this desperation to prove it."

Kurt rolled his eyes but couldn't stop his giggles as Blaine started dragging him out of the building.

* * *

><p>They were three minutes late and Blaine's hair was springier than usual. Jeff and David covered their laughter by turning away. Several boys whooped and high-fived. Wes scowled disapprovingly.<p>

"I said _four_, Blaine. Not _four-oh-three_."

"Shove off, Wes. Like you haven't run late to rehearsals sometimes," Nick said, winking at Kurt from beside Jeff. Kurt was pretty sure his face was going to burn off with how hot it felt.

"That's- This is- _Nick_," Wes spluttered. David started laughing along with most of the other boys. Kurt noticed Wes' ability to maintain control of them was disintegrating but he couldn't even find it in him to feel bad.

"Alright, enough." A boy spoke up who was smaller than most of them. "Shall we?"

"That's Thad. He's also on the council," Blaine whispered in his ear before stepping away and joining in among the formation.

They ran through warm-ups and Kurt found himself humming with them as he wrote down a plan for an essay he needed to write on capital punishment for murderers. It was actually kind of interesting, because he'd considered some of Blaine's words about Lore and how he would have been within his rights to protect Kurt from Karofsky. It gave him an opportunity to read more about the differences between Lore and law, an area he had never been particularly interested in since he had always figured he'd be alone.

Through the haze of focusing on the assignment, he could still clearly hear the Warblers rehearsing _Under The Bridge_. Their vocals were impeccable and he could hear Blaine blending into the background and then increasing until he had a solo before retreating again into the harmonies. When he glanced back, he saw David twirling Wes around while he sang a few lines on his own before Thad took over. The song shifted into another that he was unfamiliar with but sounded just as unique and beautiful. He couldn't stop his foot from tapping even if he tried.

It was part way through drafting a paragraph that he realised how peaceful he was surrounded by a number of boys he didn't know. It surprised him so much that he dropped his pen and his gaze snapped up to where the boys were singing and swaying. Blaine caught his eye and winked before going back to facing where Wes was conducting them. The music pacified him. It was like he'd just been offered the key to a lock he had assumed was never going to open.

Wes' fingers pressed into his thumbs and the boys cut off easily, breaking into grins and laughter as they praised each other. "Yes, yes, very good. We still have a ways to go until Sectionals though," Wes reminded them, writing a note on a pad that rested on the piano.

"So is Kurt going to audition?"

Kurt glanced up at his name, not sure who had spoken but feeling distinctly uncomfortable the way everyone quietened so suddenly and was now staring at him.

"Not if he doesn't want to." That was Jeff.

"Can he at least sing?"

"Blaine, _pleeeeease_. We saw his videos. He's amazing." Was that Trent?

"I won't make him do anything," Blaine said loudly, shifting out of the middle of the group to stand beside where Kurt was sitting on the couch. "Kurt will sing if and when he wants to."

"_Kuuuuuuuuuuuuurt_."

Oh God. They were starting to say his name and splitting off into harmonies. Blaine was _laughing_, the jerk, as he watched his friends.

"Fine!" Kurt yelled, if only to shut them up. "Fine. I- I'll sing."

"Now?" Trent asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Kurt looked at Blaine who shrugged. "It's up to you, baby."

"Some help you are," Kurt grumbled. "Okay. Um." He panicked. What was he going to sing?

"Sing what you know best," Blaine said into his ear as he motioned to the other boys to take their seats.

They rushed to various couches and arm chairs while Kurt wandered over to the piano, hitting a few notes to establish the pitching. "I, um…I wanted a solo last year at school," he began, creating chords and then drifting to other notes aimlessly. "I was challenging the girl that gets all the solos at McKinley because our teacher had just handed her the solo without considering that there were others who might have wanted to sing it."

He could feel all the eyes on him as he spoke but he kept his on the white and black piano keys. "My father called up and was furious I hadn't been given an opportunity. He's a little overprotective about me being treated fairly." Kurt was pretty sure he heard Blaine's snort. "So we had a sing-off one afternoon in Glee."

"Did you get the solo?" someone asked.

"I would have if I hadn't thrown the competition," Kurt mused and he heard a few shocked gasps. "The day before, my dad had gotten a call about his son being gay. I'd already told my dad by then but it still upset him and I didn't want to draw more attention to myself so I screwed up the last note." A tiny smile played on his lips as he hit the high F he'd spent hours practicing and forcing his voice up to. "I never told Rachel. I think she believed she'd beaten me fair and square and I never challenged her again."

He closed his eyes, straightened his posture and hummed a few notes before starting in on _Defying Gravity_. It felt a little scratchy, a little worn, compared to last year, but if he closed his eyes, he could still see the looks on the faces of New Directions as most of them cheered him on. Until he threw the note.

But not this time. This time he had a year's extra life in him. He had defied the bullying and Karofsky and Rachel. He had Blaine now and he was as close to untouchable with a mate as he could be. It was strange losing himself so thoroughly in the song, where he could hear the pauses and the crescendo of the instruments even though it was completely silent around him except for his voice. He soared easily to the high F and then let the note fade into the room as he slowly let his eyes open and fall on the dark black wood of the piano.

"Holy _shit_."

He jumped, completely forgetting he wasn't alone as he turned to look at the Warblers who were all looking at him with a mixture of astonishment, wonder, adoration, amazement… All the things he'd wished to see the year before until he'd crushed his chances to spare his father.

He noticed Blaine's head move first, dropping down an inch to meet his hand and he felt a twist in his stomach when he realised Blaine had been crying. Jeff and Trent and a couple other boys he didn't know looked teary-eyed too.

"Sorry Blaine, but can we give Kurt all the solos now?" Trent said finally, his hands clasped beneath his chin.

Wes cleared his throat. "He'll have to audition same as everyone else."

"But did you not _hear _that?"

"I did indeed." Wes looked more critical than most of the others in the room and it made Kurt feel uncomfortable. Like Wes was ten years older and wiser and was seeing the little boy Kurt had spent so long trying to hide.

Blaine was the first to move, rushing across the room and picking Kurt up to spin him around. He squealed, shoving at Blaine's arms and demanding to be put back down, except when he was it was like a stacks-on-Kurt moment where everyone was surrounding him in a group hug. He panicked briefly until he realised that Blaine, Nick and Jeff were the ones pressed nearest to him and relaxed his body into Blaine who held him firmly.

"You're incredible," Nick whispered into his ear as the hug started to break and the boys started to disperse.

It warmed him more than he expected. Or maybe that was Blaine continuing to hold him, his arms wrapped around his stomach and his chin hooked over Kurt's shoulder.

"I love you," Blaine said, his thumb a slight pressure on Kurt's hip bone.

Kurt tilted his head to rest against the top of Blaine's. "I love you too."

As the Warblers left in singles, pairs, trios, he felt a little like he'd found a place he belonged. He wasn't expecting solos. Far from it. He was the newest member (Was he a member? Did that count as an audition?) and there were plenty of others with voices that deserved solos. But for the first time in his week at Dalton, he'd been able to drift and find comfort in the music.

"Time for dinner, I think," Blaine mused, kissing the side of Kurt's neck as he let his arms drop.

Kurt nodded because he did feel hungry, but he allowed himself to spin and grab at Blaine, kissing him deeply.

"What was that for?" Blaine blinked, his eyes dazed and his lips swollen.

Kurt shrugged as his fingers stroked down Blaine's cheek. "I'm glad I have you."

Blaine kissed at Kurt's fingers. "Thank God you came to visit us, my little spy."

Kurt blushed with lingering guilt, but Blaine ignored it to clasp Kurt's hand in his and lead him back towards their dorms and the food hall for dinner. And maybe Kurt skipped a little and maybe he swung their hands back and forth like a child, but he was in a better mood than he'd been in for nearly two weeks. Really, he thought he deserved a little freedom to delight in the acceptance the Warblers had shown him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Here. Take the spare chapter. I'm still beating my head into the wall over chapter fifteen and I'm on holidays and yet my energy and desire to write is just zilch. _Sigh_. I refuse to call this writer's block. I _refuse_.

'Under The Bridge' (originally Red Hot Chilli Peppers) that the Warblers were singing can be found as a cover by Straight No Chaser. I tend to use them a lot as acapella inspiration for the Warbler music :3

And that's about it for now really. Thank you for putting up with the incredibly long wait between chapters. I realise I'm an awful author for it and my guilt is staggering and I just can't apologise enough ._.


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,731  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt stirred awake early on Sunday morning, his mind foggy as he tried to determine what had shaken him from the dark well of deep sleep. His heart was pounding in his chest which was unusual enough. But a sudden gurgling moan shocked him awake because that was <em>him<em> and what on _Earth_ was-

"Morning." Blaine rubbed his nose against Kurt's exposed hipbone. "It's about time you woke up."

Before Kurt could properly respond, Blaine's lips closed around the head of his cock again. His fingers twisted into the sheets and Blaine's hair as he tried to seek more heat, more suction, more perfection from Blaine's goddamn mouth. He wanted to ask questions like how long Blaine had been awake and what the time was and _why_ but his brain was still stumbling to a start even though his body knew what it wanted.

He could feel the tension in his belly and the quivering of his muscles as his orgasm approached. Blaine took him deep, only a couple of fingers around the base of his length as he balanced on the precipice of coming. It was like his entire body was straining for something but he didn't know what it was.

And then Blaine hummed.

It felt a little like being punched in the gut because he came so hard he was nearly winded. He couldn't even force his vocal cords together to make a sound. It felt like his mind had shattered and he was completely incoherent.

"Baby?"

His lids felt heavy, so heavy, as he blinked up at Blaine. When had Blaine shifted to hover over him? When had his arm moved to drape over Blaine's back? He felt loose-limbed and silly.

"I'm 'kay," he mumbled, a dopey smile pulling at his lips as Blaine gazed at him in concern.

Blaine didn't really look convinced but adjusted his position so he could nose at Kurt's jaw and neck, nipping occasionally. The shiver-inducing brush of Blaine's nose and the quick flash of pain was something he was pretty sure he enjoyed too much. But then he became more aware of Blaine's movements, a small but insistent circling of his hips into Kurt's thigh and he struggled to manoeuvre his leaden limbs.

"I'm sorry I just-" Kurt cut Blaine off with a kiss as he spread his legs in encouragement for Blaine to settle between, his ankle hooking around Blaine's leg.

Blaine whimpered into the kiss, the tiny thrust of his hips becoming erratic, tinged with increased desperation and pressure. Kurt felt so hot it was like being in a sauna, so deprived of oxygen his head was spinning as he sucked Blaine's tongue between his lips. Blaine turned away first, his face against Kurt's neck as he panted and whined and Kurt could feel the twitching and rippling in his muscles.

His eyes saw the blurred mark behind Blaine's ear and without thinking about it, licked at it roughly. Blaine was coiled so tight Kurt thought he must be nearly in pain as he licked and kissed at the blueish 'K'.

"_Oh_…Kurt…_Kurt_… I…I-" Blaine finally came with a choking gasp, his short nails almost painful where they dug into Kurt's shoulders.

He could feel the sticky warmth and wanted to cringe away, wanted to shower and strip the bedding and eat, but Blaine was cuddling against him and he was loathe to move when Blaine smelled like sweat and sex and lingering cologne and gel. It seemed Blaine was about as physically spent as Kurt had felt when he'd come.

Then he realised Blaine was quietly snoring, a breathy sort of snuffling that tickled his skin. He was frustrated that Blaine was asleep against him because he knew Blaine had pulled his pants off and discarded them somewhere. Unable to do anything but lay there as a secondary mattress to Blaine, he let his eyes close and felt his thoughts eventually drift away as he settled back into sleep.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke to the rattle and screech of pipes and the lack of Blaine against him. He shifted and realised with a cringe of disgust that he was still covered in dried come and sweat. <em>Ew<em>.

Stumbling from the bed, because a shower sounded like a really, _really _great idea right now, he pushed open the bathroom door and blinked at the plume of steam which brushed against his face as it escaped. He clicked on the fan, wary of the steam becoming mildewy and causing mould to grow along the walls, and felt for the glass door of the shower.

More steam enveloped him as he opened it and stepped inside and poked Blaine. "Are you trying to test the boiling point of water?"

Blaine giggled and turned the heat down. "I was testing my tolerance for it. I don't know if it's a mating thing or not. I never used to be able to enjoy it this hot but it's _amazing_."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he drifted his fingers between the spray and adjusted the temperature more until he could start to rinse himself off. "If you don't give yourself third degree burns, then you _will _end up looking like a boiled lobster."

Blaine hummed, wrapping his arms around Kurt from behind and rubbing his hands over Kurt's filthy stomach. "Lobsters taste nice though. So maybe it'd make me taste nice?"

Kurt snorted, ducking his face under the stream of water and rubbing the crusty gunk from his eyes. "You already _do _taste nice, you idiot."

"Oh." Blaine shrugged, kissing the back of Kurt's shoulder. "Well, so do you, if that's a consolation."

"I think it is," Kurt nodded and twisted in Blaine's grip to drape his arms over Blaine's shoulders and feeling the heat of the water running over his back, which felt fantastic and relaxing and oh God, could he marry the shower?

They exchanged lazy kisses and touches, swapping places under the spray when Blaine started to shiver. Kurt took the opportunity to soap himself up, delighting in the feel of all the grime washing away and down the drain. But Blaine was never far away, fingers skimming his body as he watched Kurt shower with so much heat in his gaze that the shower seemed icy in comparison.

Feeling a little shy under such a look, Kurt leaned out of the shower to grab their toothbrushes off the counter and remove that inexplicably bad taste from sleeping. Blaine turned away and Kurt still found it amusing that after all they'd done together, Blaine had this loathing of watching or listening to someone brush their teeth. But then they were both done, Blaine taking their toothbrushes and putting them back on the sink and cuddling him under the water.

"I love you," Blaine said and Kurt smiled into Blaine's neck, running his fingers through the soaked curls.

"Love you too," he said, squeaking a little when Blaine's hands ghosted over the ticklish spot on his left side.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

Kurt paused and then started laughing. "Blaine, we're _naked_ in a shower and _mated_. Don't you think we're a little past dates?"

Blaine kissed below his mark and felt the tiniest twinge of pleasure, but Blaine was already pulling back to stare at him, eyes gold and clear. "Who cares about the order of what should or shouldn't happen? Mates don't get the chance to date because it happens so immediately. But I want to go on a date with you, so just humour me?"

Kurt shrugged. There was no harm in going on a _date_, for heaven's sake. It wasn't like it would make or break their relationship. "Sure. Why not? Did you have a date or place in mind?"

Blaine's face was so relieved Kurt wondered if he'd seriously thought Kurt would deny him something as mundane as a date. "After Warbler rehearsal tomorrow night? And it'll be a surprise."

Kurt cupped Blaine's jaw and kissed him. "Sounds like as much of a plan as I can agree to."

Blaine grinned. "Awesome. Okay. Can we get out of the shower now and eat because devouring my mate is probably a bad idea?"

Kurt snorted and fiddled with the taps behind Blaine until the water was off. "Yes, I'd rather you didn't eat me. I work very hard on maintaining a whole body composition."

"Well," Blaine laughed, stepping out of the shower and passing Kurt's towel to him, "I am very fond of it."

Kurt preened.

* * *

><p>Their epic date plans were completely thwarted by the Council's refusal to let Blaine go after rehearsal.<p>

"But _Wes_-"

"Warbler Blaine, in all due politeness, shut up and sit down," Thad said firmly.

Blaine shot a frustrated look at Kurt, who had lingered by the doorway. "It's okay, I'll be in the dorms," Kurt said softly, a sad smile on his face as Jeff and Nick bundled him away from the closing doors.

"So, just us three then?" Jeff said, spinning in a circle around his mate and Kurt. "Cool."

"Jeff-"

"Okay, okay, _fine_. I'll leave you two alone then," Jeff said with a grin, skipping on ahead of them on the path back to their separate sleeping quarters.

Kurt paused and blinked at Nick. "He doesn't think…?"

Nick looked back and forth between Jeff's bouncing blonde head and Kurt. "What? That I'm going to try seducing you or something? God no. He just recognises that I have more…experience dealing with difficult stuff and I think he thinks you might like to talk or ask questions or something."

Kurt bit his lip as he followed Nick's gently ushering hand, trailing beside him slowly. "I should ask Blaine…"

"It's not always easiest to ask the hard questions of those dearest to us," Nick said. "I went to David because he was the one who…who helped me out the first time. I didn't want to upset Jeff. I imagine you don't want to upset Blaine."

"Not really, no." Kurt shoved his hands in his blazer pockets and fiddled with his phone in one hand and their room key in the other.

"I haven't forgotten your questions from the first night, y'know." Nick crouched down to pick a few pink and white flowers that looked a little like carnations. "If you could mate with the wrong person or by accident or whatever." He straightened up and held a white flower out to Kurt. "Do you want to explain your reasoning behind that?"

Kurt accepted the flower, twisting the stem between his fingers and watching the petals catch the light as he continued to walk beside Nick. "I've seen… Back at McKinley, there were people who displayed but it wasn't reciprocated so they didn't mate. I…I _get_ that much," he said quietly, scratching at the stem with one of his nails. "And I know what happened with two of the people in my Glee club, I saw that happen, and I know what happened with Blaine and me. I know it was, _is_, fast but passionate and consuming…" He could feel his cheeks pinking in the dark light.

"But…?" Nick prompted.

"I never… I've never seen it be an attempt at a _violent_ mating," he murmured, biting his lip. "And never against someone already mated. And I just…I wonder if I'd… If I knew how he felt before I mated with Blaine, if maybe I could have avoided this whole mess of transferring and him getting hurt and stuff…"

"Kurt!" Nick was chuckling and lightly touched his arm. "You just became more compassionate than like, everyone else I've ever known."

"No, I-"

"No, it's my turn to talk," Nick said firmly and Kurt tried not to feel affronted that someone was cutting him off. "The fact that this other guy is even _alive_ is a testament to both Blaine's strength and the quality of your mating so early, because I know if Jeff had been attacked like you were in the early days, I would have ripped them apart." Kurt swallowed. Were _all_ mated couples that inherently violent? "If he'd displayed before you were mated to Blaine, it would have been the same as anyone else who displays and gets rejected. Maybe he _still_ would have gotten violent, and if that had happened, you wouldn't have had Blaine save you. What would have happened _then_, do you think?"

His heart stuttered in his chest at that because Blaine only came because he'd felt the danger through their marks or whatever. If he hadn't had Blaine and he'd been in an abandoned corridor or classroom with Karofsky, nothing would have stopped the life from being strangled out of him.

"I'm advising you to be grateful you mated with Blaine when you did because what you went through was traumatic, but Blaine well and truly saved your life."

Kurt stared at Nick in surprise or maybe shock. "But Blaine said that if you die soon after mating, or even before you mate, then you can find a second mate…"

Nick snorted. "He's not _wrong_, but the chances of it happening are stupidly small. Most are given the opportunity to find their match so if your intended mate dies, then it's like it messes up the balance of the world or something. You turning up here not only saved your life by mating with him, but it basically saved him from being eternally lonely." He jabbed his elbow into Kurt's side gently. "And between you and me, he was mopey enough before you turned up."

Kurt wasn't quite fast enough to stifle his giggle. Blaine would completely resent the notion of being called _mopey_.

"You're with Blaine because you're _meant to be_ with Blaine," Nick continued, pausing at a tree to pick a flower off a branch. "Call it fate or destiny or divine intervention. Mating is…" He waved his hand, the faint perfume from the flowers drifting around him. "It's this complex, cosmic thing. It's like…super strong magnets. You find the person you're attracted to, and you have the right opposites to fit together and become two halves of one whole, and you become practically glued together in all the right ways and you _can't_ be pulled apart by anything ever again. Anyone else that _isn't_ meant to be your mate will just be repelled like when you put magnets with the same polarity together. So this other guy? It wouldn't have mattered if he'd shown himself more before you found Blaine because you obviously didn't want him and hadn't exposed _yourself_ to him either when you first met. The difference having Blaine makes is that you _survived _and he isn't alone now."

Kurt nodded, fiddling with the flower Nick had given him. Maybe he needed to stop worrying about Karofsky so much. The _what if I had done this _or _where is he now _or _how could I have done something different _had been haunting him for too long and the anxiety was keeping him from relaxing properly among the Dalton boys who had been nothing less than accommodating to him.

"You know that what happened isn't your fault, right?" Nick said, breaking into Kurt's thoughts. "You shouldn't have been assaulted whether you were mated or not."

"I-" He bit his lip because part of him still believed that if he'd done something earlier, if he'd known how Karofsky felt, maybe, just maybe…

"Kurt." Nick jumped in front of him, his face calm but shadowed in the light. "No one deserves to be hurt like that, do you hear me? You do _not_. No one does. Not you, not…not _me_, not anyone, alright?"

"_You_…?"

Nick turned away and Kurt caught a flash of…something on his face. Pain? Anger? "One day, I'll tell you. The only people that know are the people who were there that night – Wes, David, Thad, Jeff – Jeff's younger sister Katie, because she goes to Crawford, and Blaine. It's… It's incredible that Jeff heard me that night but it's…not something I talk about easily. Just…" His eyes returned to Kurt's face and Kurt felt small under his gaze, like somehow Nick had just aged ten years in an instant and there was no way he could possibly deny Nick anything. "Remember that what you went through has happened to other people, and it should _not_ have happened, alright?"

Kurt swallowed as Nick met his eyes, steady and unwavering. He wasn't sure he believed it just yet but…he could try. Maybe.

He could see Jeff waiting in the foyer, chatting to a girl in a Crawford dress who had similar blonde hair. "Oh hey, speak of the devil. Katie's here!" Nick said, ducking through the door and picking up the tall blonde girl, spinning her around even as she shrieked and demanded to be put down. Jeff was laughing and Kurt felt slightly awkward as he stood off to one side.

"Kuuuuuurt, c'mere and meet my sister. She doesn't bite, I swear," Jeff teased, his eyes bright as he bounced from one foot to the other.

Jeff's sister, Katie, turned and had eyes bluer than Kurt's and a grin wider than Jeff's, although Kurt honestly wasn't sure how that was possible. "It's not fair that you're all so attractive and mated already," she complained with a smile. "I'm Katie."

"Kurt. I'm, um… I'm Blaine's mate," he said, biting his lip and feeling shy.

"I can't decide if you're lucky to have such a hot mate or he's lucky to have _you_. Jesus." Katie shook her head and danced around him and yep, he could definitely see how she was related to Jeff.

He knew he was blushing as Nick and Jeff laughed at him. "Kitty Kat, stop embarrassing poor Kurt and let's all get dinner while Blaine has it out with the council over something or other."

"Ooooh, drama. I like drama," Katie cooed, looping her arm through Kurt's and following after her brother and Nick even though none of them really had any idea what was going on.

They'd finished dinner by the time Blaine turned up, his hair in disarray and clearly frazzled.

"Hey Kat," he mumbled, sliding into Kurt's lap and wrapping his arms tightly around Kurt's neck without another word. Kurt blinked at the unusual contact and looped his arms around Blaine's waist with an eyebrow raised at Nick and Jeff.

"Honey?" he whispered, nudging Blaine.

Blaine shook his head, tucking himself tighter into Kurt's lap and breathing against Kurt's neck.

"Okay, we won't talk about it then," Kurt conceded, frowning and rubbing his hand over Blaine's back.

The conversation stuttered back to life around them thanks to Katie, rambling about the latest girl dramas over at Crawford. It was weird for Blaine to be so clingy, and Kurt wasn't entirely comfortable with it in public even though they were in the mated dorms and among friends who were fine with them, but he couldn't push Blaine to talk or let him go if he just needed to hold on. He'd clung to Blaine often enough.

He lost track of time for a while, tuning out the conversation around him to focus on Blaine. His heart and breathing rates were steady, but Kurt felt…bewildered was perhaps the best word for it, by the flickers of feeling he could feel that had to be from Blaine and through the bond thing or whatever they shared. He knew Blaine would talk when he was ready though, so he stayed still and calm, hoping that the palm sliding over Blaine's back was comforting.

It seemed to be doing the trick as the tension in Blaine's body gradually unwound, his grip around Kurt's neck loosening until he could breathe a soft "Thank you" into Kurt's ear and nuzzle into Kurt's shoulder.

He smiled slightly, pressing a kiss to Blaine's hair. "We can move up to our room if you want. It might be more comfortable and less crushing to my legs."

Blaine nodded, kissing Kurt's neck softly and untangling himself from Kurt's lap as he searched for Kurt's hand, which he happily slipped into Blaine's.

"Goodnight guys," Kurt said quietly as Blaine avoided looking at them, something that was clearly worrying Nick. "It was great to meet you, Katie," he added with a soft touch to her shoulder.

They called out various farewells as Blaine silently led Kurt to their room, their hands only loosely held together but there was no way Kurt was going to separate it. He pressed the key into the lock and let Blaine enter before him as he closed the door.

"What's going on?" he said the moment the door clicked shut and Blaine dropped his hand to move further into the room.

"I-" Blaine licked his lips and his anxiety was obvious. It was probably the most distressed Kurt had seen him, except for maybe the stuff with Karofsky. "Please can we just- Can you just hold me? I don't want to talk tonight, I just… It's nothing bad... I just… Please?"

"Of course, of course," he said soothingly, slowly pulling off his clothes and watching as Blaine did the same with slightly shaking fingers. Even if it was nothing bad, it was still obviously upsetting Blaine.

He flicked off the lights when Blaine crawled under the blankets, naked and obviously shaking. He tried to stay calm, tried to remember to be patient, stripping out of his briefs and sliding in beside Blaine. Blaine almost immediately latched onto him, pressing their bare skin together and whimpering with…relief maybe. Kurt wasn't sure.

"Shhh…" he whispered, his fingers stroking over Blaine's haphazardly gelled hair. "It's okay, baby. Just relax."

Blaine mumbled another thank you as their limbs got tangled and Kurt pressed gentle kisses to Blaine's face until Blaine's quivering started to ease, the crawling anxiety over Kurt's skin started to fade. He realised Blaine was probably being lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of Kurt's blood pounding under Blaine's ear where it was tucked against his shoulder, but he thought it was probably a good thing even though he was kind of desperate to know what on earth was going on.

"Sleep well," he murmured, making sure Blaine was completely relaxed and pliant in his arms before letting his eyes close and tried to get his own mind to slow down so he could sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So my plan for this week was to finish writing this story, as anyone who follows my Tumblr may have seen me post up earlier in the week that I now have the outlines for the final chapters for this (it will be wrapping at approximately Chapter 20, so not much to go!). Unfortunately, that plan totally didn't work but I still had this done so I thought I would put it up for your enjoyment :)

Over the course of this story, I've had quite a number of questions or prompts that I am endeavouring to either wrap up in this story if it's relevant (e.g. what happens to Karofsky) or will play with writing in the sequel thing. However, I'm sure there are many I've missed or forgotten or haven't even thought of, so if you've got an idea, drop me a review (or are they comments now? I really don't understand all the changes FF is making at the moment!) and I shall add it to the list of things to consider.

Hope you enjoyed it and as always, thank you for reading xx (And no seriously, among all these changes, I can see the traffic this story has had across it's entire history and how many people are following it and _who _is following it and has favourited it and just... Jeepers creepers, it's freaky so... Hello to all those readers who have read/favourited and have never reviewed or talked to me. I value you just as much for supporting the journey! x)


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,325  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

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><p>When Kurt started to wake the next morning, it was mostly due to a peculiar sensation that made his body shiver. The shiver started just behind his neck and rippled down his spine and it was just enough movement that it had woken him. He cracked open one eye, noticing that it was still mostly dark outside, and then down at Blaine, who was apparently licking his chest in his sleep. Sort of like a puppy.<p>

He snorted softly at his thoughts and touched his fingertips to Blaine's cheek. "Blaine baby, you need to wake up."

Blaine grumbled some sort of nonsense in his sleep and Kurt had to bite down on his lip not to laugh.

"Blaaaaaaaine," he whispered, scratching lightly behind his mate's ear.

Blaine whined but Kurt could feel the shift in his breathing, the way his muscles weren't quite as loose as before. "Whazzama'er?" Blaine mumbled, slinging his arm over Kurt's tummy and pressing his face into Kurt's bicep.

"You were _licking_ me."

Blaine hummed softly, swiping his tongue over Kurt's arm. "Mm… Taste nice."

"_Blaine_."

"Shh… Sleep-me was onto a good thing," Blaine murmured, licking up to the joint of Kurt's shoulder and over his collarbone. "Awake-me is onto an even better thing."

"Blaine, I-"

"Shhh," Blaine said again, his eyes barely open as his mouth covered Kurt's, his tongue pushing past the seam of Kurt's lips. Kurt was dimly aware of his hand on Blaine's face, curling into Blaine's hair, whimpering and arching into Blaine's body. Blaine shifted until his body was draped over Kurt's, half-hard erections brushing together on Kurt's stomach.

"_Blaine_." Apparently begging wasn't beneath him as he circled his hips up to meet Blaine grinding down. They both rapidly grew harder, breathy moaning and panting as Blaine's hands tangled with Kurt's and pressed them beside his head.

"I love you," Blaine whispered, mouthing at the mark behind Kurt's ear.

"Oh _crap_…" Kurt clutched at Blaine's fingers and thrust up hard when Blaine moved down. He wasn't sure what Blaine did, if it was his tongue against the mark or playing with the bond thing, but he felt like he was splitting apart at the seams as he came. Blaine followed him soon after, hot stickiness covering his stomach and making him cringe as Blaine cuddled into him.

Kurt's back settled in the middle of Blaine's shoulder blades as they came down from the high, until he started to shift with discomfort. He twisted to look at the clock and realised they only had another twenty minutes until the alarm was going to go off.

"I vote shower and then you talk about last night," Kurt said as his fingers scratched the nape of Blaine's neck.

"Mm…I vote snuggles for the whole day…" Blaine mumbled, kissing at Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt froze and poked Blaine in his own shoulder. "Now we're _definitely_ talking if you're prepared to miss school, mister."

"_Kurt_," Blaine whined.

"Nope. Now get off me so I can go find the meaning of clean in the shower," Kurt said, prodding Blaine again.

Blaine grunted and rolled over, off Kurt and nearly off the bed if Kurt hadn't grabbed his hip.

"I'll be back soon. Don't fall asleep or the alarm will frighten you back awake," he warned, even though he knew Blaine was already starting to doze. He climbed free of the tangle of sheets and blankets, still unable to get over the feeling of being so wholly exposed. He was comfortable with Blaine and he knew Blaine was the only one who could possibly see him, but he was still moving quickly around the room to gather his uniform for the day while utterly naked. Maybe as much as he loved Blaine, he valued his privacy and not exposing his body for anything other than sex more.

He lingered in the shower probably longer than necessary, but the heat of the water felt good on his stiff shoulders from holding Blaine against his chest all night. With a final roll of his neck, he shut the water off with a vague sense of disappointment and stepped out, dried off and pulled on his clothes for the day except for his tie, blazer, belt and shoes. He'd just exited the bathroom when the alarm went off and Blaine yelped and flailed at the clock, smacking blindly at the device while Kurt snorted.

"I told you so," he said, climbing on top of the blankets because underneath they were probably stained with dried come. He'd have to strip the bed while Blaine was in the shower.

"Shuddup…five more minutes…" Blaine mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

"Nuh uh," Kurt said firmly, peeling the pillow back and resting it on Blaine's chest (he'd have to strip the pillowcase too) so he could lay on top of him and not ruin his uniform but stare down at Blaine. "What's going on?"

"Nothing…" Blaine said, eyes closed as a refusal to meet Kurt's gaze.

"Blaine, _please_."

"I-" Blaine bit his lip and when his eyes opened, they were more alert than Kurt usually saw in the morning. He wondered just how sleepy Blaine had really been earlier. His eyebrows rose and his forehead creased and Kurt wanted to press his thumb into the lines and smooth them out. "The Council wants to change what we're doing for Sectionals."

"Okay…?"

"They… They want to do a duet." He gazed steadily at Kurt, who shrugged.

"Okay? I'm still not getting the big deal here."

"They want _us_ to do a duet."

_Oh_. "Oh."

"They weren't sure if you'd be comfortable performing in front of a crowd so…soon after everything that's happened and transferring. And I mean, it's not just _us_ because they want to like, make a spectacle of the three mated couples and you haven't really officially auditioned but they're making an exception because of your performance of _Defying Gravity _and they think our voices would blend well together as the core leads and then Nick, Jeff, Wes and David take lines and I mean, I'm obviously going to agree with them because of course I want to duet with you and mmph-"

If there was one thing Kurt knew about his relationship with Blaine, it was that if he started rambling and babbling the easiest thing to do was kiss him and shut him up. It probably worked both ways, he just wasn't sure if Blaine had worked it out yet. When he pulled away, Blaine whined and tried to chase after his lips but he shook his head and pushed Blaine back into the pillow under his head.

"You were anxious about _that_?" he said with a teasing smile.

"Um… No. There's… There's something else…" he admitted, gaze flickering away to look at the curtained window.

"Blaine…?"

"Um…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the gel he hadn't washed out the night before. "The guy who um, attacked you, he's… He was charged with sexual assault and attempted murder under law, and attempted murder of a newly mated couple under Lore."

Kurt blinked and tried to process what that meant. But he couldn't. "I don't…?"

Blaine sighed again, his hand reaching up to cradle Kurt's face. "It means that he might end up in prison for only a decade under the law judicial system, but the rest of his life under the mating one."

Kurt froze and then pulled away from Blaine quickly, toppling off the bed and landing with a thump on the floor. "Ow…" he muttered, rubbing at his butt.

"Are you okay?" Blaine said, peering at him worriedly over the edge of the bed and chewing his lip.

"I'm-" No, he wasn't _fine_. He couldn't be _fine_. "The rest of his _life_?" he said, squeaking in disbelief.

"What he did… I still don't think you fully grasp how serious it was, Kurt. Not just _morally _or _socially_ but legally and like… I don't know. It just _is_. I keep saying to you it shouldn't have happened and it's a serious, serious thing he did and the charge reflects that."

"But I- I'm _fine_. He didn't hurt me or anything!" Kurt protested.

Blaine rolled his eyes, pulling a blanket off the bed to cover himself as he knelt beside Kurt. "The fear you have walking down the halls? That wouldn't have happened if not for him."

"But-"

"The nightmares you have some nights? That wouldn't have happened if not for him."

"But I-"

"The bad bond between your parents that led to your mother attempting suicide? _That could have happened because of him_."

Kurt's mouth was already open to protest before it sank in what Blaine had said and he closed it again.

"I'm not… I haven't always been this…this stable, put-together person, Kurt," Blaine said softly, cupping his cheek and gazing steadily into his eyes. "You know about being beaten up and what Jase and I did to those other boys. If I'd lost you, I wouldn't have lived. And he could have seriously damaged _us_ and that wouldn't have been good for either you or me." Kurt could feel his eyes prickling with tears as Blaine pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I love you, I love you _so_ much, and I know you hate the idea of someone hurting and because of you but…this is all brought on by _him_ and nothing you or I could have done would have stopped it."

"Maybe it was just me though… He might never hurt anyone else," Kurt whispered, a tear spilling free and trickling down his face.

"That's not a chance that anyone in Lore is willing to take with people like him." Blaine swallowed and brushed the tear off Kurt's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Kurt didn't even know what to say. It just felt so _unfair_. Maybe Karofsky shouldn't have done what he did but Kurt _had_ survived with only a few emotional issues that were easing by the day. Yet he could understand the logic that maybe Karofsky would hurt someone else at some point, maybe even kill them, and he couldn't stand the thought that someone would lose their mate so soon because he'd tried to fight for Karofsky's right to freedom. He remembered Nick's words from last night, that it wasn't his fault and he had his mating with Blaine to thank for the fact he was still alive. He thought he'd accepted the impact Karofsky had made on his life and been willing to let it go but this changed everything.

"I don't want to go to class today," Kurt said finally. "I… I just… Can we just stay in the dorms and hang out in the common room and watch movies or something while everyone else is out?"

"Now you understand why I wanted to avoid them and spend the day wrapped up with you," Blaine said with a tiny smile, kissing Kurt's cheek. "Let me shower and we'll get breakfast and let Nick and Jeff know we won't go to class today and then yeah, a lazy day sounds good."

Kurt nodded as Blaine gathered an outfit that wasn't his uniform, still feeling shaken. When Blaine disappeared into the bathroom to shower, he felt slightly mechanical as he stripped the bed down and replaced it all with fresh bedding and shoving the old stuff in the washing hamper.

* * *

><p>Kurt had forgotten that Wes and David knew the secrets Blaine had kept to himself overnight, but he remembered the second he saw their faces and their simultaneously sympathetic and hopeful faces. The pressure of Blaine's guiding hand against his lower back subtly increased and he brushed a quick kiss to Blaine's hair.<p>

"Alright, now that they're _finally_ here, will _someone_ tell us what the hell is going on?" Jeff said before Blaine had even sat down.

"Also the plain clothes, but I think an explanation of last night will probably allow this uniform deviation o be understood," Nick added before popping a corner of toast in his mouth.

Kurt glanced at Blaine and took his hand underneath the table. Blaine had explained after the shower that the Council would make the announcement about the multi-duet at the next Warbler meeting, so what Kurt decided to tell the others about Karofsky was entirely up to him.

"We're taking a personal day," Kurt said, biting his lip and looking at Jeff before focusing more of his attention on Nick. "The Lore Council is stepping in about my…attack and it's…it's not good for my attacker."

Nick raised an eyebrow in response but eventually nodded. "Are you understanding the seriousness of what he did now?"

"I-" Blaine squeezed his hand under the table and he paused and looked down at the blank table space in front of him. "I think I'm getting there."

"It's not an easy thing to understand," Jeff said, tilting his head to rest on Nick's shoulder. "Just as long as you start to shift the blame off yourself and to the person that actually deserves it."

"Jeff!" Wes scolded mildly.

"No, it's…it's okay. I…I know it's not really my fault. I just… I hate that he's in so much trouble," Kurt murmured.

"He'd be in a lot worse trouble if he'd actually killed you," David commented.

Kurt didn't even want to think about it.

"Okay, so 'personal day' means no school and you need us to pick up your work then?" Jeff said, returning to his bowl of cereal even though it had started to go soggy.

"If it's not too much trouble," Blaine replied, kissing Kurt's cheek and standing to get breakfast for the two of them.

"You're missing an awful lot of school, Kurt," Wes said, his face set in a disapproving frown.

"Hey." Nick reached over the table and poked Wes in the chest. "Just because _you_ were fully mated and set with your bond before you moved here doesn't mean all of us had that luxury. I missed tons of school after I first transferred because of my fears and the therapy, and that doesn't even take into account the school I missed because I wasn't even _in_school when you guys found me. And I turned out alright."

Wes raised a mocking eyebrow and Nick threw a piece of toast at him, muttering something that sounded rather like "Jerk" as Blaine returned with a bowl of fruit salad and toast for Kurt and he smiled gratefully, squeezing his fingers in between the gaps in Blaine's as soon as Blaine had taken his seat.

"They're so cute and domestic, _ugh_," Jeff teased over his mug of tea.

"Like you two were any better," David retorted.

"Like you two _are_ any better after five _years_," Nick said with a glare at Wes and David, which effectively ended that particular topic.

The conversation resumed around Kurt and Blaine as they ate through their breakfast close enough for their thighs to be touching. When the other four departed with various goodbyes, Kurt looped his arm through Blaine's and nuzzled at his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked, kissing at a spot on Kurt's forehead.

Kurt hummed, smiling slightly. "I'm glad I get to spend the day watching movies with you."

"Mmm…. Any suggestions?"

"I was thinking _The Sound of Music _and _Rent_."

"The movie isn't as good as the stage show though," Blaine pointed out as they stood and moved out of the dining room.

"True, but you know the strangest thing? Rachel's mother looks _so_ much like the person that plays Maureen that it's uncanny…"

* * *

><p>Kurt wasn't sure who fell asleep during <em>The Sound of Music<em> first but he would always claim it was Blaine. It didn't really matter though because it was him who woke up first, stirring from a dream about sharks that could swim through the air. _Edelweiss _was just coming to a close. Unwilling to watch the end and cry like a baby, he flicked it off and stared at the blank screen for a while. It gave him a chance to think about Karofsky and his…what? His punishment? He hadn't been found guilty unless the oaf pled out for a lighter sentence. Was that even possible in Lore courts? Would he need to testify? He hadn't been examined by anyone, he'd never had to give a statement to the police or have photos taken of his injuries. Was a conviction possible on no evidence given by the injured party?

He closed his eyes but all he could see were Karofsky's staring back at him, dark and angry and dangerous. He snapped his eyes open with a whimper, rubbing at his face, and that was what woke Blaine up.

"Hey…shh…" Blaine murmured, his hold on Kurt's body tightening as he kissed the back of Kurt's neck. "Are you thinking about him again?"

Kurt huffed, threading his fingers in between Blaine's. "I can't _not_ think about him."

"Mmm…" Blaine squeezed at his hand and nosed at his skin. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, I really do. I understand the Lore Council's fears but he's just… He's _young_ and he made a mistake."

"He bullied me for years."

"Yeah but-"

"_No_. You don't-" Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in deeply. "What he did was…was reaching the pinnacle of a very tall bullying mountain. He spent years hurting me, Blaine._Years_. It started back in primary school, okay? And he- I mean, I know he took it too far this time but I've had more bruises from him than almost any other person combined, and he…he broke my wrist and two ribs once s-so-"

Blaine growled, clutching Kurt tighter to his body. "He _what_?"

"It was a long time ago and-"

"Kurt, you're _sixteen_ and-"

"-_going on seventeen_-" Kurt sing-songed.

"_Kurt_."

"Sorry," Kurt mumbled, biting his lip and falling silent.

"There's not _that_ many years for it to be 'a long time ago', Kurt. He could have been charged with assault or at least thrown out of your school so he'd stop harming you."

"But it- I thought it was just an accident…"

"No one breaks _bones_ by accident or gives you consistent bruises, Kurt."

Kurt sighed. "Okay, so maybe I should have reported something sooner but I didn't. At least something is being done now and we'll be safe and he won't hurt anyone else. Happy?"

Blaine kissed at the back of his neck. "No, not really, because a lot of this could have been avoided if you'd spoken up sooner. But I guess it'll have to do for now and… Do you realise what you just said?"

"That we'll be- Oh. Am I blaming him for it rather than me?"

Blaine nodded and pressed a series of kisses to the skin along the side of his neck up to his ear. "You're not defending him or his actions anymore."

"…yay?"

"I'll take what I can get for now," Blaine muttered, squeezing Kurt's hand and tucking him in tightly amongst Blaine's limbs.

They lay in silence for a while, Kurt feeling the slight movement of Blaine's heart thudding against his ribcage and transferring to his back because of how close they were spooned together.

"I love you." Blaine's words drifted over Kurt's skin, so soft it felt like a feather was tickling under his ear.

"Love you too," Kurt whispered in reply. "Hey… Does this count as a date?"

"What? Cuddling on the couch and watching movies?" Blaine asked.

"Isn't that what _normal_ couples do?"

"Since when were _we _normal?" Blaine teased, nipping at Kurt's neck.

Kurt giggled. "Very true. I therefore expect to be taken out and suitably…uh, non-alcoholically wined-and-dined at some point."

Blaine laughed. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Splendid," Kurt murmured, squeezing Blaine's hand and letting his eyes close to snuggle against Blaine a little longer before everyone returned from classes for the day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Another chapter closer towards the end.. My intention to finish writing this story weeks ago didn't happen (I just know none of you are surprised) and I've gotten re-swamped in another semester of Uni and I'm now juggling prac teaching as well.

Worse, I got blocked on the second half of Chapter 17. If anyone wants to throw suggestions my way of what I could do to extend it out and finish that chapter, I'm all ears.

I just wanted to finish off with I love cute domestic-y!Klaine in the mornings and you should expect a few more things tying together and wrapping them up, but probably no more real angst like I left you with last chapter! :)

As always, I adore you all for reading and adore you more when you review. Thank you for your everlasting support for a story I have been slightly less neglectful of, but no less terrible over :3


	17. Chapter 17

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,050  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt resumed school on Wednesday with a slightly adjusted way of doing things. He would leave the classroom a fraction earlier than usual which brought him into contact with the straggling Dalton boys but there weren't enough to overwhelm him. Blaine held his hand, squeezing silent encouragement whenever someone got a bit too close in the dash to their next class but Kurt knew it was a start, and Nick's grin at lunch when Blaine told them how they'd been doing was enough to cement in Kurt's mind that he was doing the right thing by trying to increase his contact with other people.<p>

The Warbler Council had convened a meeting that afternoon to discuss the changes to the set-list for Sectionals. Kurt had heard the rumours, that it was going to be him with a solo or a duet with Blaine, but only he, Blaine and the Council actually knew what was coming.

Which was why he took such delight in the reaction.

Even if Jeff falling out of the chair and taking Nick with him led to a possible mild concussion for both of them.

"You're _what_?" Jeff exclaimed, his gaze swapping from Kurt and Blaine to the Council from his newfound spot on the floor. "A solo? All three couples? _Seriously_?"

"Jeff-"

"This isn't a joke, right?" Nick interrupted Wes. "Because we've auditioned for solos before and-"

"It's not a joke, Nick," Thad said calmly. "It's an opportunity to showcase our mated. There will be subtle adjustments to outfits so the judges are aware that we aren't a bunch of singing gays but overall, we believe that the adjustments to our song choices may work in our favour since New Directions has a, uh…" He looked at Kurt beseechingly, perhaps not wanting to criticise his former Glee club.

"A habit for always having the same soloist or duettists and song selections? Yes, they certainly have that flaw," Kurt offered, still a little bitter with Rachel and Finn.

"This is really happening then?" Jeff asked, his hand linked with Nick's. "Really?"

"_Yes_, Jeff," Wes sighed.

Jeff squeaked or squealed or something, grabbing Nick and kissing him firmly.

Trent clapped but most of the other boys stifled groans. Wes smacked his gavel into the wood chock and Nick and Jeff broke apart.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind, we'd like to get start on rehearsing these new numbers?" David said, standing to distribute sheet music.

Kurt shared a smile with Blaine, kissing him on the cheek. "You sure you're okay not having as much of a solo?"

"If it means we win?" Blaine said, glancing over the music David had handed him with his name neatly printed on the top. "Totally okay with it."

Kurt nodded with satisfaction and grinned. New Directions were in for the surprise of their life.

* * *

><p>There was something in Burt's insistence that Kurt and Blaine attend dinner on Friday night that had Kurt mildly anxious on the two hour trip from Westerville to Lima. He couldn't help thinking back to the heart attack that, really, hadn't been all that long ago. He'd tried so hard to make sure his father ate well or that Carole stuck to the meal plans, but what if he was in danger of another attack again? What if he wanted to try and make Kurt drop the charges or whatever against Karofsky? What if Finn had mated? (Although surely Rachel would have contacted him for <em>that<em>?) What if-

"Stop thinking," Blaine said, quiet but firm as he reached over from the steering wheel and tangled his hand into Kurt's.

"I'm not-"

"Kurt."

"Okay, _okay_." Kurt held up their joined hands and sighed, staring out the window at the passing scenery. "But you heard him on the phone, right? That didn't sound like my father_usually_ sounds, right? I'm not just making this all up and-"

"Kurt."

"Sorry." He bit his lip as Blaine squeezed his hand.

"You can spend the remainder of the car trip working yourself into a state, or you can just accept that you will find out whatever is going on when we get to your place. Nothing is going to change in the next hour and a half until we get there."

"But-"

"No buts," Blaine interrupted, glancing across at Kurt, his gaze steady even though their eyes only met for a second. "Your anxiety is stressing me out and I need to focus on driving, alright? So please, stay calm."

Kurt fell silent, biting his lip again but tried to stop the overwhelming flurry of thoughts.

"How about we practice our Sectionals stuff?" Blaine offered, squeezing Kurt's hand before removing it so he could keep both hands on the wheel.

"You sure?"

"Kurt."

"Okay, okay…"

* * *

><p>Blaine had barely put the car in park an hour and twenty-six minutes later before Kurt was leaping from the car and practically flew over the lawn to throw himself into Burt's arms. Blaine rolled his eyes, shaking his head fondly as he locked the car and joined the minor reunion.<p>

"Why don't we go inside?" Burt offered after shaking Blaine's hand.

Kurt was back to chewing his lip as he snatched at Blaine's hand, following his father and Carole through the corridor until they took various seats in the family room. Kurt was gripping Blaine's hand so tightly his knuckles were white and he worried faintly about crushing his hand into splinters of bone, but he couldn't peel his eyes away from his father long enough to notice anything else.

"Kurt…" Blaine said lowly, rubbing his thumb against the back of Kurt's hand.

"Dad. Tell me. Now. What the hell is going on?"

Burt and Carole looked at each other for a long moment and then turned back to Kurt and Blaine. "Carole and I are, uh, engaged."

Kurt wasn't sure if Blaine processed it faster or he was just too stunned to react.

"Congratulations," Blaine said, tugging at Kurt's hand to respond.

"You- You're- I- _Engaged_?" Kurt squeaked out at last.

Burt rubbed a hand over his scalp and smiled hopefully. "You can't say you didn't see it coming, Kurt."

Well, _no_, but after the 'faggy' incident with Finn and neither of them could re-mate so it was a marriage because they…they what? They loved each other? They had sex?

Oh gross. No. Kurt didn't need to imagine _that_.

The recoil from the thoughts also meant recoiling physically, his face scrunching up and alarming Burt, Carole and Blaine.

"Kurt?" Blaine touched a hand to his cheek, eyes searching his face with concern.

He closed his eyes because he just couldn't meet Blaine's, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. "I'm happy for you both," he said, choosing his words carefully. "It just came as a little bit of a…shock, I suppose. The actual engagement, I mean. I know you two have been, um, dating a while or whatever now. But I-" He swallowed and re-opened his eyes to stare at his father and Carole. Carole who was going to be his _step_-mother. Oh hell, that was going to be weird. "I spent the car ride over thinking of dozens of possibilities for why you insisted Blaine and I come for dinner tonight. I can assure you, _this_ particular scenario wasn't even a scenario I considered."

"It's true," Blaine said, eyes twinkling with amusement. "He certainly was stressing out a lot over various possibilities."

Kurt shoved Blaine lightly. "I'm sorry dad, Carole. It was just a surprise. I'm happy for you both. Truly."

The relief on Burt and Carole's faces was obvious and Kurt felt bad that his father had honestly doubted he would accept the engagement. After all, it wasn't a mating, his father and Carole had both had that opportunity and lost it, but he couldn't begrudge them finding a sense of happiness and love in each other. He wasn't that heartless. He'd always wanted his father to be happy.

"We uh, weren't sure how you and Finn would cope in the same room at the moment so he's over at Rachel's for the night," But said, looking more nervous than Kurt would have expected of his father.

Kurt nodded, feeling grateful. Most of the awkwardness from the year before had dissipated, and he certainly had no attraction to Finn now that he was mated, but he was still struggling a little to think kind thoughts of his future-stepbrother after how mean or rejecting or whatever it was he'd been after mating with Blaine. There had been no need for Finn's attitude, or Rachel's, and he resented the people he thought would have been more accepting. Although with Rachel's selfishness and Finn's stupidity, maybe he shouldn't have expected anything different.

Still, it was nice to sit with Blaine, his father and Carole and not feel like the conversation was shifting off into awkward directions because of Finn. Carole had made a roast chicken, which Kurt made absolutely sure his father didn't get any of the skin from, a variety of baked and boiled vegetables which were deemed suitable enough by Kurt for his father to eat, a dish of macaroni cheese that Kurt absolutely forbade his father from touching, and a bowl of salad that he kept adding extra serves of to his father's plate even when Burt grumbled under his breath at being the next best thing to a rabbit. Thankfully, an argument was avoided due to some careful eye-catching by Carole and Blaine to keep their significant others calm.

When they were all sufficiently stuffed, Burt asked for a moment with Kurt and would Carole and Blaine mind very much cleaning up? Kurt immediately felt anxious again but Blaine kissed his cheek and Burt shoved Kurt back into the living room.

"Dad…?" He wasn't sure he could take many more bombshells tonight.

"Oh, settle _down_, I just… I haven't really talked to you or seen you since you left for that school. I just wanted to make sure you were settling in okay. The other boys treating you nice?"

Kurt flushed and smiled. "Yes. There are two other mated couples that Blaine and I are in the Warblers with. The four of them have been wonderful."

"Good, good." Burt leaned back in his seat, hand resting gently on his stomach. "Did you, uh, hear about the stuff with that boy?"

Kurt hardly needed to ask who his father meant by 'that boy', but he'd been trying to avoid thinking about it since Blaine had told him on Tuesday. He'd wanted to pull Nick aside but at the same time, he'd barely wanted to be separated from Blaine in days. He'd felt shaken by the charges against Karofsky and he wasn't sure how he could explain it to anyone else, even if Nick seemed the most likely to understand.

His father was still staring at him so he nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah, Blaine told me on Tuesday."

"How are you feeling about it?" Burt asked.

"I-" He bit his lip and looked down at his hands briefly. He could hear Blaine and Carole still cleaning up but he knew Blaine could probably feel his anxiety so he tried to calm himself down. "I just feel like… Isn't it excessive? To lock him away forever seems just…overkill. I've moved schools and I'm settling in and I'm happier and… Isn't that all that really matters now?"

Burt looked like he was going to immediately protest but paused a moment, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to think of the right thing to say. "When I mated with your mom and her parents kept us apart, it broke the opportunity we had to bond right and she was… Julia was never really the same. Things have changed a lot since then because mating used to be a little like arranged marriages, where parents could try and force it to happen or intervene in cases where their child mated with the wrong person."

Kurt nodded. He knew all this from Blaine, and had heard little tidbits of stories from the other boys.

"Under the Lore rules of today, if I or Blaine's parents had tried to separate you two the way your mother's parents separated her and I, and one of you had gotten harmed down the track, we would be liable for appropriate charges for what had happened," Burt said, his eyes meeting Kurt's directly. "Kurt, if _anyone_ interferes in a new mating under the new things the Lore Council has enacted in the past two or three decades, there's a whole host of trouble they find themselves in."

"But-"

Burt held up his hand and Kurt fell silent, his forehead creased and trying to process it. "As much as I am _loathe_ to imagine that kid harming you the way he did, there were enough witnesses. Maybe it wasn't his _intention_ to harm you, but it could have happened. And if either you or Blaine hadn't been as strong, resilient and courageous as you both are, then something very, very bad could have happened."

Burt stifled a chuckle and Kurt raised an eyebrow, wondering what the hell was so hilarious.

"I was just thinkin' that if he'd hurt you bad enough and destroyed the chances you and Blaine had, it would have been _me_ up on attempted or actual murder charges. I didn't raise you this many years to have some absolute _moron_ try and take you away from the person destined to make you the happiest."

Kurt's eyes were wide, swallowing with no small amount of difficulty. It really put his casual calmness at the announcement of the mating in perspective, because he'd definitely his father to be angrier than he had been. He was a hybrid _bear,_ after all.

"Everything all good in here?" Carole asked as she entered, Blaine trailing behind her and slipping in beside Kurt to kiss his cheek and tangle their hands together.

"Just explainin' some of my spotty understanding of Lore to Kurt," Burt said, with a look that clearly confused Blaine but which Kurt nodded at. Karofsky had done something so bad he could barely grasp it but he was becoming aware that he had to be punished for that or at the very least protected from harming anyone else.

Blaine cuddled Kurt under his arm as they settled in to watch one of the Batman movies with Carole and Burt. Even amidst the frequent explosions and exhilarating chases, the warmth and security of being in Blaine's arms, of being at home, was enough to lull Kurt to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kurt blinked his eyes open slowly, confused and disoriented. It was completely dark and quiet except for the soft ticking of the kitchen clock.<p>

Oh. Kitchen clock.

Home.

_Right_.

He stifled a groan, trying to shift his body out of Blaine's grasp as the muscles in his neck and back protested the movement. He really, _really_ needed to not fall asleep leaning over like that again.

Rubbing at his eyes and letting them adjust to the darkness, he managed to make out _3:28_ on the DVD player and was amazed he'd slept so long, especially through the loudness of the movie that had been playing earlier. Why hadn't his father or Carole encouraged Blaine to move him to bed?

Hearing a soft murmuring beside him, he smiled as he took in Blaine's peaceful expression and felt terrible that he needed to wake Blaine up so they could move to a proper bed.

"Blaine…"

"Mmph…"

"Blaine, honey… We need to go to bed. Can you wake up a little more for me and I'll help you there?"

Blaine grumbled and shook his head, lips twisted in a sleepy pout. "Effort…"

"I know, I know…" Kurt slowly got to his feet, gritting his teeth at the pain. Even if he had to sleep in bed alone, he would do it. He couldn't stay on the couch.

"You 'kay?"

Kurt grasped under Blaine's arms, tugging him up. "Just in a little pain. C'mon."

"Pain?" Blaine's voice sharpened, his eyes blinking open in the dimness of the night as he clutched at Kurt's upper arms to steady himself. "What happened? What's wrong? What can I do?"

"Shhh…" Kurt pressed a soft kiss to Blaine's cheek, surrounded him in a brief hug. "Just shouldn't have been twisted up like a pretzel on the couch for so long. I'm okay. Come on."

He knew Blaine wasn't entirely convinced but there was no other cause of it and nothing much that could be done except laying down flat. With slow, shuffling steps, Kurt guided Blaine to the stairs to the basement, shutting the door behind them and continuing to lead Blaine. It was darker here than it had been upstairs but Kurt didn't want to switch on a light and dazzle either him or Blaine so he settled on cautiously sweeping his hand out for any potential obstacles. His knees found the edge of the bed and he stopped to turn back to Blaine.

"Sleepy time yet?" Apparently Blaine's concern over Kurt's sore back was gone and Kurt had to force himself not to laugh at just how adorable Blaine was.

"Yes. Sleep time. Let me just help you out of your clothes and then you can collapse onto the bed, okay?"

He felt rather than saw Blaine's nod, quickly and easily discarding Blaine's clothing until he was in his undershirt and boxers.

"Sleeeeeeeep…" Blaine whined and Kurt snorted.

"Come on. Here you go. There…. Good." Kurt tucked the blanket over Blaine and moved to the other side of the bed, pulling off his own clothes as he went until he could slide in beside his mate.

"Love you," Blaine mumbled, arms and legs tangling automatically around Kurt like some sort of freaky octopus.

"Love you too, Blaine. Sleep well."

"Mmmm…"

Blaine was asleep pretty quickly but it took Kurt a little longer, thoughts of Karofsky and Sectionals playing on his mind. Tomorrow Finn would be around and he still found their dynamic awkward. But gradually, Blaine's steady puffs of air against the back of his neck, the warmth of Blaine's body around his, the familiarity of Blaine's hold and his own bed, enabled him to slip back into the abyss of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **SUHPRIZE. Pretty sure I'm more surprised than you will be though at the update seeing as the last part was written very hastily just now. I realise I've been so very terrible at dragging this on and really want to get the last couple of chapters done so I can wrap it up. All my writing is very up in the air at the moment because Uni this semester is absolutely_insane _with the amount of work I need to get done but hopefully this can tide you over a little. I know what happens in the next couple of chapters but I haven't started writing anything yet so your guess is as good as mine when it comes to an update :| I'm so sorry for being awful..

But thank you for reading as always! Your support makes me overjoyed! :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 3,148  
><strong>Summary:<strong> GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>As expected, Finn returned the following morning in time for breakfast. After a fairly cool assessment of Blaine and Kurt sitting beside each other, he slid into his own seat and began on the stack of pancakes Carole had put on his plate.<p>

"S'wha' plans f'Secshun'lz?"

Kurt nearly vomited. As it was, Blaine choked on his orange juice which was a sufficient distraction from Finn's disgusting table manners.

When Blaine waved Kurt's hand away, Kurt turned his attention back to his stepbrother who was eyeing them.

"Here's the deal, Finn Hudson," Kurt began, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning forward. "Blaine and I aren't going to tell you anything other than you and New Directions better bring you're A-game. So you can tell your busy-bodying little girlfriend-" Finn looked outraged and Blaine kicked his ankle beneath the table, "-that you can stop being her spy in here trying to get set list details out of us."

"She wasn't- I wasn't-"

"_Sure_, Finn." Kurt picked up his plate and empty glass and moved to dump them in the sink. "She probably worded it something like 'Wouldn't it be nice to have some inspiration for Sectionals? I wonder what Kurt would think we should do!' and she'd hope that I might just let slip to you some ideas that would be similar to what us Warblers are doing."

"Well-"

"Well?" He arched an eyebrow and put a hand on his hip as he looked at Finn.

Finn's cheeks turned faintly pink and he averted his gaze from Kurt's. "There….might have been something like that…"

"Tell her we're going to do acapella and hard rock. AC/DC like you've never heard it before."

Finn's eyes widened. "_Really_?"

Kurt snorted and shook his head, unable to believe that Finn was so gullible.

"Yeah man, it's awesome. You should hear how Kurt uses his voice to get some of those gritty notes!"

Kurt was going to _kill_ Blaine for encouraging Finn into believing his crap.

* * *

><p>If you had asked Kurt in the lead up to Sectionals, he would have said the time crawled by and the Warblers were not only hopelessly over-prepared but that he'd had nightmares about remembering the songs and dances even after he was dead. (Blaine had sensed his distress around the same time as dream-Kurt started trying to dance his way out of a coffin and he had startled awake rather horribly.)<p>

Yet the day of Sectionals, wandering around the small room assigned to them made him look back and panic that maybe they weren't as rehearsed and polished as they needed to be. The first group up sucked and Kurt barely paid attention to them. But there was still New Directions to go after the Warblers had performed and it was a nervous wait to see what they had come up with.

Still, were they enough to win?

"Stop worrying," Blaine murmured, sneaking up behind him and looping his arms around Kurt's waist. His chest felt so strong and steady against Kurt's back as he leaned into him.

"It's almost automatic. What if we aren't good enough?"

"Then we aren't good enough." Blaine shrugged and pressed a soft kiss to the side of Kurt's neck, making Kurt feel slightly shy and embarrassed even though none of the Warblers were watching them. Nor did they even care.

"But we _have_ to beat them. I need to rub it in Rachel and Finn's faces that we're better!"

Blaine hummed, lips drifting along Kurt's skin until the soft tickle of his breath moved over Kurt's mark and his skin felt tingly and warm. "We're better than they could hope to be. We've totally got this thing."

"You sure?" The anxiety was starting to twist in his gut as the lights flashed three times as a warning to get moving.

"Promise," Blaine whispered, kissing Kurt's mark and pulling away, his hand falling into Kurt's and fitting so perfectly that Kurt was starting to understand how they were two parts of the one whole.

They mixed in among the other boys, neat lines of boys in blazers. The mated soloists, Nick and Jeff, Wes and David, and Kurt and Blaine, were wearing plain navy blazers without any sort of red accent. Apparently it was enough to symbolise their mated status although Kurt still had lingering bubbles of anxiety.

"Everyone get your places!" Wes whispered loudly as they pushed onto the stage, finding their marks.

Blaine gave Kurt's hand a tight squeeze and separated off to stand on the other side of the stage. Kurt wasn't sure he'd ever felt quite so nervous performing before. Outside of the Warblers, no one had any idea what they had planned to do. He inhaled deeply, forcing himself back into focusing. They knew this. _He_ knew this.

The whisper of the curtain fabric parting and the hush of the murmuring crowds was more than enough, so David's muttered "Show time!" nearly made him snort himself into giggles.

The four boys assigned to the setting up of the beat began and Kurt still had no idea how the human mouth and body was meant to be able to sound like that but it never ceased to fascinate him. He found himself nodding along, toes tapping inside his shoe to the beat as he counted rounds in his head until those without solos for the first number began the additional vocals, spinning around in unison and side-stepping as a group towards stage left. Blaine and David remained still with their backs turned, waiting until their cues.

When the time was right, Blaine spun on the ball of his foot slipping effortlessly into the performing role and singing the opening words of _Poison_ by New Edition. They'd chosen the mash-up arrangement with _Billie Jean_ by Straight No Chaser, simply because it was so different from usual and allowed for a wider array of talent to be displayed. During the parts that were more Michael Jackson, there were ridiculous attempts at moonwalking and crotch grabbing (and Kurt was sure Nick was going a little overboard if Wes' subtle glare was anything to go by) and when Blaine took over the _Poison _parts, Kurt had a burst of pride. The crowd was loud with approval and it no longer felt like a performance, just another rehearsal in the Dalton rooms.

The song built towards the end, David and Blaine dancing around each other and singing lyrics in each other's faces until the entire group came together to sing the last few phrases, sure-footed, steady, confident, determined. Kurt felt like Wes, David and Thad had used military precision during rehearsals but he understood now how seamless the group fit together, how tightly controlled they were with no slips or fumbling or nervous glances when someone put a foot wrong.

The crowd were cheering and applauding and Kurt took a moment to smile widely, casting his gaze out over the audience even though he couldn't really see any faces because the stage lights dazzled him. They waited nearly a minute until the noise started to settle and Wes gave the cue for them to start the second song in their set list. Kurt met Blaine's eyes and his heart pounded in his chest as he stepped forward.

"_What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive…_" Blaine's voice soared, pure and deep. The other Warblers behind them were humming quietly.

Kurt blinked away tears as he let himself feel, blocking out all the people in the audience because all he could see, all he could notice, was Blaine. "_I can't keep up and I can't back down, I've been losing so much time…_"

Nick, Jeff, Wes and David stepped out of the Warbler mass to take up the chorus with Blaine and Kurt. The arrangement had taken a long, long time to get everyone's voices matched for the perfect blend but Kurt could still hear Blaine's tenor and it was like home. He wanted to wrap himself in Blaine's voice and never leave.

The other mated boys took turns with their solo lines but none of it mattered to Kurt anymore. As the words washed around him, it felt like the song had been written especially for him and Blaine. After all, he couldn't keep his eyes off his mate even if Thad had prodded him in the back at one stage. He couldn't even find it in himself to be embarrassed by the blatant staring, because Blaine was gazing back at him just as much. If he'd been able to look, he would have noticed Nick and Wes were just as mesmerised by Jeff and David but…well, _Blaine_ was kind of the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

The audience response seemed muted compared to their first song but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Blaine was grabbing at him, hugging him close and pressing soft, familiar lips to the side of his neck. There were pushes and pulls all around him as the other Warblers swept them up into adoring arms but his world was Blaine, everything was Blaine, and suddenly it became so much clearer to him why Blaine was so defensive of Karofsky, why he was mated in the first place. He wasn't sure if he'd ever find it in him to resent Karofsky the same way Blaine and even his father did, but he recognised why Blaine was so important and why Karofsky had been wrong.

Thad hustled them off-stage. Kurt thought it was strange until he glanced back at where Wes and David were hidden in the curtained wings and kissing with so much passion that Kurt felt embarrassed and looked away, fingers slipping seamlessly into Blaine's hand.

"I love you," he whispered, his lips brushing over the brilliant 'K' behind Blaine's ear.

Blaine turned to him, flushed and sweaty with the joy and energy of performing and smiling so wide Kurt thought his cheeks had to hurt. "I love you too." His lips pressed against Kurt's, short but insistent and Kurt felt a stirring in his stomach that he had to clamp down on so they could exit backstage and take seats in the auditorium to watch New Directions sing. "Later," Blaine murmured when they'd taken their seats, kissing Kurt's cheek and pulling Kurt into his side.

Kurt watched with interest and surprise as Rachel sang a song he'd never heard before. He could see Wes, David and Thad exchanging confused whispers. Blaine was nodding his head against the top of Kurt's and seemed oblivious to caring about where she'd dug this song up from. Quinn and Sam stepped out from the back of the auditorium like the previous year's routines and Kurt rolled his eyes. Could they do nothing original? Yet when Kurt's former Glee club started in on a second song that was just as unfamiliar, he realised what they'd done.

"Oh my God, they're singing original songs!" he gasped, loud enough that the three members of the council gazed at him in stunned disbelief. Even Blaine stilled.

"Are you sure?" Wes demanded over the noise of the cheering audience.

"Of course! I know them! I know their usual selections! These are originals!"

Thad frowned, grabbing out his iPhone and Kurt could see by the dim light that he was mouthing something about highly unusual.

"Thad doesn't think it's legal," Blaine said into his ear, bouncing in his chair. "I don't even know if it is."

Kurt doubted New Directions was stupid enough to sing original songs at Sectionals but when Finn tripped over Artie's wheelchair, comically flying through the air until he bowled over Sam, Puck and Quinn, the singing came to a sudden stop. The audience, which had been cheering and enjoying the music, fell silent. Rachel stood in the centre of the stage with Mercedes and Tina beside her and Kurt started mentally counting.

He made it to four before she burst into violent tears, running off stage with Mercedes and another girl Kurt thought he recognised from the AV Club at McKinley running after her.

"Well…" Jeff said slowly, hands dropping from where they'd been covering his mouth. "I don't want to jinx anything but-"

"Say. Nothing," David said tersely, even though the delighted grin on his face betrayed that he was as secretly overjoyed as Jeff.

The curtains shut rapidly on the train wreck of a performance just as Quinn's palm connected with Finn's face. Nick and Blaine both flinched at the smack that echoed through the silent auditorium and Kurt automatically grasped Blaine's hand while Jeff slipped his arm around Nick's shoulder and kissed his temple.

Being announced as the winners felt hollow. Rachel and Finn weren't on stage to collect the runner-up trophy so Mr Schue awkwardly handed it off to Tina and Mike. The council leaders were overjoyed and Blaine was jumping up and down but it felt difficult to smile and cheer when his old choir members were staring at him so dejectedly. Of course he'd wanted to rub it in their faces but not because Finn's inability to dance had created a disaster.

They were herded off-stage to change into casual clothes, with Wes unable to take his hands off the shiny trophy. "It'll be his new prized possession. The gavel is going to get jealous," Nick said to Blaine, who stifled a chuckle when David glared back at them.

Kurt kept forcing a smile until he passed the dressing room that was marked 'ND'. He paused and let the others be swept further down the corridor before knocking.

"Go away! We know we lost!" Rachel shouted from the other side of the door, voice breaking with obvious tears.

He rolled his eyes and opened the door anyway, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. Finn was beside Rachel, rubbing her back and looking miserable. Rachel's make-up was horribly streaked and Kurt really needed to teach her about the benefits of waterproof mascara at some stage.

"Come to gloat?" she bit out, grabbing at a tissue and scrubbing it over her face, smearing her make-up even worse.

"It's hard to gloat when there were two winners today, except one side dropped the ball," he said quietly, stepping inside and shutting the door.

"If that was meant to make me feel better-"

"This isn't about _you_," he said, cutting her off. Finn opened his mouth but a quick glare silenced him. He met Rachel's gaze and wasn't even quite sure where this fierce determination was coming from. "You two are the _leaders_ of New Directions and yet you've huddled away in here and couldn't even collect your trophy. How pathetic! We lost to Vocal Adrenaline last year! You aren't always going to win, Rachel. You aren't always going to get what you want. But you're a disappointment and a disgrace if you're not even going to _try_!"

"Now hold on-"

"I've accepted you aren't going to be happy about Blaine and me," Kurt continued, speaking over Finn. "I resent that you can't be more mature about it, especially after what Karofsky tried to do, but I've accepted it. I can only hope that when the two of you find your actual mates that I don't treat you as bitterly as you've treated me. I know we're teenagers but you two aren't mated! You aren't meant to be! You can keep pining and wishing but it isn't going to happen!"

Rachel stared at him, her mouth open and gaping like a fish. Finn just looked confused.

"And what if you're denying yourself the possibility of meeting your mate because you're still hung up on _him_?" Kurt gestured at Finn's dumbfounded face. "Not everyone wins, Rachel. But I thought I could have expected better from friends who knew what I'd been through. I thought I could have expected better from someone who will be my stepbrother! I thought-"

"Kurt-"

"-I could have- Mercedes?"

Without his noticing, the door to the New Directions dressing room had opened slightly and his former Glee club stood in the doorway, watching him with various expressions. Tina and Mike looked proud, Puck looked angry, Artie looked sad, Mercedes looked disappointed.

"You know we just want you to be happy," Mercedes said softly, biting her lip and fidgeting with her dress.

"Yeah? Well, you've got a funny way of showing it," Kurt said, turning back to Rachel and Finn. "I'm sorry you're both such sore losers. When you're ready to face up the truth, you know where to find me." He looked back at his former Glee members who blocked his exit. "I'm sorry Finn tripped over and ruined your routine. The songs you wrote were amazing. You deserved to win."

Puck shook his head, his angry expression dissolving. "We made asses of ourselves. You guys owned it up there, especially the three-way song. You won by being a group and playing to your strengths. We tried to be too fancy and lost."

Kurt shrugged and a small path to the door cleared.

"We do just want you to be happy," Mercedes said, her hand closing around his elbow.

"Truly," Puck added with a weak grin.

Kurt's eyes moved over them but didn't feel convinced. "I have places to be," he said, striding through the gap and darting into the corridor. He could hear the loud, jubilant cries of the Warblers and part of him just wanted to break down and cry. He couldn't believe he'd stood up to Rachel and Finn like that.

"Kurt!" Blaine's voice was piercing through the commotion in the dressing room and then his arms were around Kurt's waist, warm and familiar. "I have- Are you okay?"

Kurt shook his head, fingers curling into Blaine's navy hoodie and hiding his face in Blaine's shoulder. Blaine shuffled them into a corner of the room, mumbling soothing words as his fingers rubbed gently into Kurt's neck and occasionally grazing against his mark. Slowly the anxiety and tears calmed and Blaine felt the shift in his body, tilting his head up to wipe away the tears and kiss his forehead.

"We'll talk later, okay?"

Kurt nodded, letting the warm wave of comfort swirl around him. He wasn't sure he could be very articulate right now about what he'd said and done.

"Kurt, I- I know this isn't…great timing, but… I have something I need to tell you," Blaine said, cradling Kurt's face as his thumb stroked over the apple of Kurt's cheek.

"Okay…?" Kurt gazed up at his mate, confused and still emotional.

"Uh… My parents are here. And Jason. They want to meet you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Hi! Hello! I'm not dead! Isn't it marvellous! (Uni is hell ._.)

So... That was totally not the way this chapter was going to end. Apparently I found a way to extend the story to twenty chapters though. Yay?

I've kind of blended New Directions singing Regionals songs with Sectionals choreography in some ways. I'm not sure why. Probably because I can.

The songs that the Warblers sing are _Billie Jean/Poison_ which is an arrangement by Straight No Chaser (I use them a lot for Warbler songs) and _You and Me_ by Lifehouse, but as a choral arrangement. I'll be linking a couple of example videos to the Marking a Mate page on my Tumblr (which I'm actually going to reconstruct very soon as a way of procrastinating on Uni work).

As usual, I'm not sure when the next update will be but I finish up this semester of Uni in almost exactly a month so hopefully the final two chapters will appear around then or shortly after. Thank you as always for following, reading and reviewing! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 4,165  
><strong>Summary: <strong>GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt swallowed at the rush of anxiety which travelled through him. Meet Jason? Meet Mr and Mrs Anderson? In casual clothes and with puffy red eyes? He could think of absolutely nothing worse.<p>

"Shhh…" Blaine reached up to cup his face, gazing into his eyes while the tips of his fingers brushed over the mark behind his left ear. "You already know they love you and accept us. Now you get to put faces to the names and get hugs and kisses from them, okay? That's all this is."

"But my clothes and-"

"Kurt, they couldn't care less what you're wearing. You're my _mate_."

Kurt bit his lip, not feeling convinced, but reaching up to try and restyle his hair anyway.

"Kurt-"

"You can't tell me you weren't looking your absolute best to see my father, Blaine Anderson," Kurt interrupted, wriggling free of Blaine's arms to find a mirror. He straightened his Dalton tie and brushed at his blazer nervously. His outfit wasn't ideal but at least the hadn't been making out and Blaine's parents had walked in on them. At least he wasn't butt naked. At least he wasn't wearing one of Rachel's hideous animal sweaters. At least he wasn't-

"Kurt-"

"_Fine_. I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Kurt huffed, smoothing out non-existent creases in his blazer and taking Blaine's outstretched hand like he had only weeks ago on a staircase. "But you better make this up to me later."

Blaine laughed, curling Kurt into his side and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "I'll do whatever you want later. Come on."

Every step towards the unknown location of Blaine's family felt like a step towards doom. The ball of fear in Kurt's stomach grew progressively larger until he couldn't understand how he didn't look like a blowfish with how hugely expanded he was starting to feel.

"Kurt, _breathe_," Blaine murmured, squeezing Kurt's body as they exited the doors leading to backstage and entered into a foyer with people milling around. Kurt could see Tina's parents embracing Mike and Nick and Jeff talking with a swaying Katie.

He saw his father and Carole having a conversation with Finn and ducked his head away from meeting his father's eyes. He didn't want any additional distractions. He didn't want-

"Blaine!"

Kurt's heart stopped as Blaine was swept up in the arms of someone he didn't know, ripped away from his side and leaving him feeling panicked and exposed. His thoughts immediately flashed back to Karofsky, the instinct to shield and protect fighting with the urge to flee.

"Kurt? Kurt. Hey… Shhh… Look at me…"

He blinked slowly, eyes finding familiar honey-hazel and feeling a rush of calm spread out from the mark on his ear. He scowled as Blaine pulled him close, feeling like he was being drugged to meet Blaine's family. It shouldn't be this distressing to his system.

"Kurt, meet Jase, my momma and my father," Blaine said, giving a silly flourish of his hand to the three people standing in front of them, as if Kurt didn't already know who they were.

Jason was a few inches taller than Blaine, with straight hair that was probably closer to Kurt's own colour than Blaine's almost-black. His eyes had the same intensity as Blaine's and were similar in colour. His smile was the same radiance as Blaine's and he obviously had the same infectious enthusiasm that left him bouncing on the balls of his feet as Blaine when he got excited.

"Can I hug you? Please?" Jason asked, his fingers twitching in front of him.

Kurt felt his stomach turn inside out at the idea of being hugged by a stranger and obviously Blaine was aware of it, if his quiet warning of Jason's name was anything to go by.

"Okay, no hugs," Jason mumbled, the excitement fading as he stepped back and stared at his feet.

Kurt felt a pang of guilt but knew he couldn't possibly handle being touched. Logically he knew he'd be safe but instinctively, he was scared. It reminded him about why Blaine hated Karofsky so much. He felt broken and damaged. He'd never been an overly affectionate person but he'd also never envisaged having this sort of a reaction meeting his mate's parents. Suddenly how his hair and uniform looked seemed frivolous and he resented himself almost as much as Karofsky.

"-shouldn't have surprised you," Blaine's father was saying. Kurt realised he'd zoned out and peeked up at Blaine's father who was tall, taller than Jason by a few extra inches. His hair was dark and straight with similar eyes to Jason and tan skin. Kurt would have wondered why Blaine and Jason weren't overly tall if it wasn't for the tiny Lorraine with her arm looped with Jonathan's. Her eyes tended towards hazel with long brown hair similar to Jason's in colour and reminding Kurt of his mother with the way it was braided and draped over one shoulder. Curly wisps escaped and part of Kurt just wanted to give her a few hair pins to keep it all down. She looked kind and smiled warmly at him, and he managed a weak smile in response.

He didn't participate in the conversation as Blaine asked his parents about their flight and Jason's work in Vermont. There wasn't much he could add and he was still trying to adjust to their unexpected presence and the tumultuous confusion of feelings, some of which he thought might have been Blaine's. He was startled out of observing the conversation by a tap on his shoulder and glanced over it, meeting his father's eyes.

"Dad!"

Burt gave him a brief half-hug because Kurt wouldn't detach from Blaine's side long enough. The thought of not holding on to some part of Blaine nearly had him panicking again. Burt squeezed Blaine's shoulder and smiled at the strangers.

"Burt Hummel," he introduced, holding out his hand.

"Jonathan Anderson," Blaine's father said, smiling and grasping Burt's hand firmly.

Kurt let his father meet Lorraine and Jason, abandoning attempts to talk while the adults got to know each other. Blaine's arm was heavy with familiarity, his hand soothing, until Lorraine Anderson interrupted to announce they were about to be ushered out and could they move this family meet-and-greet to another location?

Carole stepped in to invite them to Breadstix. Blaine cast a quick look at Wes in an opposite corner who made a shooing motion and gave Carole a nod. Kurt noticed Finn had vanished and Carole said something about a New Directions commiserations party. Kurt rolled his eyes, remembering the fiasco of a party when New Directions had lost to Vocal Adrenaline and Rachel spent an hour crying into Finn while Santana ranted in Spanish to Brittany. Mostly he'd just wished Quinn hadn't decided to go into labour and Mercedes and Puck were away. He'd felt completely lost while nursing a cup of Pepsi most of the night.

Kurt watched as his father took Carole's arm, leading her out of the foyer while Blaine fell into step with Jason at his side, tugging Kurt along. Mostly Kurt just wanted to go back to their room at Dalton and cry. Being pleasant and polite in front of the Andersons seemed impossible, and he'd made a complete fool of himself multiple times already. Talk about giving the Andersons the worst possible impression of their son's mate.

"Honey? Which car do you want to go in?"

Kurt's thoughts broke and he looked at Blaine with a confused frown until he processed the words. He immediately and instinctively shied away from the idea of climbing into a car with strangers, even though the logical side reminded him that they were Blaine's parents and brother and he was safe.

"Shh… Okay, your father and Carole it is then," Blaine decided, pulling Kurt over in the direction of where Burt was waiting by Carole's dark sedan.

Kurt decided on the drive to Breadstix that whatever Blaine owed him for meeting his family was paid off with the way Blaine interacted so easily with Burt and Carole. He had no energy or motivation to make small talk, too wrapped up in his jumbled thoughts and feelings about the Warblers winning and New Directions losing and what he'd said to Rachel and Finn and now meeting the Andersons, and he knew his father was worried if the looks he was getting in the rear-view mirror were anything to go by.

Burt put the car into park outside the restaurant and Blaine asked for a moment with Kurt before they went inside. He took the keys from Burt who muttered something about the difficulty in getting a table for seven, climbing out of the car and meeting Carole to lead her inside.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Blaine said once Carole and Burt had entered Breadstix. His eyes were wide with worry, his hand reaching up to cradle Kurt's face and tilt it towards him.

"I just… I confronted Finn and Rachel after we won and….and I'm _broken_, Blaine. I can't even let your parents touch me because all I can think is _strangers_ and I start remembering Karofsky's hands and then I can't breathe all over again and I-"

"Hey, shh…" Blaine unbuckled his seatbelt and then Kurt's, wrapping his arms tightly around Kurt as he started crying again. He felt so angry with himself and was confused and irritated and embarrassed that he couldn't even hug his mate's family. "Shh… It's okay. You should have seen Nick when he first joined Dalton. He was like a frightened rabbit and wouldn't talk to anyone and wouldn't leave Jeff's side for months. And don't forget how afraid I was when I first went to Dalton. You don't have to be ashamed to be scared of them because honestly? I was totally terrified of meeting your father."

Kurt snorted wetly against Blaine's shoulder.

"I can tell you about how they aren't harmless. I can tell you about the birthmark on my father's stomach or the scar on my mother's leg and I could tell you about the time Jason fell from a high branch on a tree to a lower one and landed right on his balls." Kurt winced at the thought of it. "I could tell you all about my family but that still wouldn't make you trust them, and I understand and respect that. They aren't going to push you to hug or touch them. They aren't going to push you to talk. I'll be by your side and holding your hand the whole night, okay? I'll be safe and you'll be safe and they won't hurt us. If anyone tried to hurt us, I'm pretty sure our fathers and Jason would fly into overprotective mode so tonight we'll be the safest we can possibly be, okay?"

Kurt swallowed, dragging himself way from Blaine's shoulder to wipe his eyes. What Blaine said made sense and even if he didn't know Blaine's family, there was no way they'd hurt Blaine and trying to hurt their son's mate after what Kurt had been through was completely ridiculous. He just needed to keep reminding himself that he was safe with Blaine and safe being surrounded by their families.

"Okay," he whispered with a tiny nod. Blaine brushed the sleeve of his hoodie over Kurt's cheeks and kissed his forehead again, soothing Kurt's unsettled stomach. He looked up at Blaine through his eyelashes, noticing the way half of Blaine's face was shadowed because of the light in the parking lot.

"I love you," Blaine said simply, tilting Kurt's hair until their lips met. If Kurt forgot what his name was, he couldn't be blamed. Something about Blaine's hand cupping his jaw in the backseat of Carole's car and kissing him completely breathless wiped his mind clean of any and all anxieties.

Blaine helped him out of the car, locking it behind them and tangling his fingers with Kurt's. Kurt was glad for the familiar gesture and the familiar location and tried to keep his anxieties in check as he saw the table his father had obviously claimed which had two spare seats. Kurt felt guilty that the Andersons had been waiting.

Burt raised an eyebrow in an eerily similar way to Jason's but Blaine's tiny headshake removed the concerned looks as they turned back to their menus and discussed possible dinner options.

"Eat healthy," Kurt said softly to his father when he caught his father staring at him too long. Burt huffed and turned back to choosing a meal that didn't include mountains of cheese or deep-fried fat.

As the evening progressed, Kurt found himself easing up around the Andersons. He couldn't exactly label them as harmless but he could see Carole found Lorraine's work in Eastern Europe fascinating, and Burt and Jonathan were more than happy to talk cars. Jason had Blaine entertained with some story about Vermont. So Kurt realised that yes, they weren't entirely harmless, not yet, but those most important to him felt comfortable enough to talk with Blaine's family so they couldn't be too much of a threat. By the time desserts were being ordered, he chipped in a few words to conversations around him and Blaine squeezed his hand encouragingly under the table each time. There wasn't any stunned stare, just a continued, seamless transition in the topics and he was glad he was able to gradually relax.

Unfortunately, that changed when the Andersons offered a lift back to Dalton because they were headed to their house in Columbus. Kurt's anxiety ratcheted back up so fast he forgot how he'd settled down and was nearly hysterical at the idea of being in an enclosed place with three people he barely knew.

"Hey buddy, no need to get so worked up about it. I can drive you if you want," Burt said, his hand closing securely around Kurt's shoulder and pulling him back from the brink of drowning.

Kurt shook his head, ignoring the trembling in his fingers. "That's nearly a four hour round trip and it's nearly eleven…"

"If you're going to have a panic attack because you're not comfortable with the Andersons, then I wouldn't care if I was driving you to the moon and then had to turn around and drive back. You're my son and I want you to be okay and comfortable," Burt said, his face so earnest Kurt nearly teared up again.

"I'll be okay…" He didn't sound certain but he had to think about his father.

"Don't put other's first if you really aren't going to be okay, Kurt."

Kurt glowered at Blaine beside him, but Blaine merely shrugged and didn't look nearly as abashed as Kurt expected him to. He bit his lip, wishing that the Warblers hadn't travelled in a bus to the competition and he had his own car and this situation in the first place. Or some warning that Blaine's family were visiting. That would have been nice too.

"I- We'll just go with your parents… It'll be more convenient," he murmured, twisting his fingers together with Blaine's.

Burt and Carole said their goodbyes and Blaine insisted on sitting between Jason and Kurt which Kurt appreciated. The family talked around him while he stared out the window, concentrating on the lines of the road and the passing headlights to ignore the nervousness he couldn't shake. He hadn't even realised how his eyes had drooped shut and he'd nodded off to sleep until Blaine was calling his name and Kurt became aware that the car was no longer moving and the mated dorms was right outside the car.

"Oh… I didn't mean to sleep. I'm sorry… That was horribly rude of me," he said softly, but the Andersons all waved his apology off and Blaine encouraged him to climb out of the car.

"Will we see them again?" Kurt whispered, guilt crawling into his stomach at how he'd been rude the entire night. Blaine's family probably thought he was an idiot or something.

Blaine smiled and waved as his father put the car in reverse and rolled out the driveway of Dalton. "They're all going to stay in Columbus a little while. There's no pressure for you to get together with them but they were saying while you were sleeping that they completely understand their sudden arrival probably wasn't the smartest idea."

Kurt nodded even though he still felt bad as Blaine pulled him into the dorm. It was nearly one in the morning and completely silent, although Kurt noticed a few thin strips of light beneath doors implying not everyone was asleep. Slipping inside their room, Blaine toed off his shoes and fell face-first onto the bed in his clothes.

"Lying down… Oh God, that feels nice," Blaine muttered, stretching his arms and legs out until he looked like a starfish.

Kurt shook his head in amusement, hanging up his blazer, unknotting his tie and the buttons on his shirt and searching for a t-shirt to wear to bed.

"Fuck, you're gorgeous."

Kurt glanced over his shoulder, cheeks heating in a shy blush as Blaine stared at him from the bed.

"Come here. Now," Blaine said, motioning with his fingers and rolling onto his side to free up room for Kurt to lie on. "Please."

Abandoning his search for appropriate sleep clothing, Kurt crawled onto the bed and sighed with relief at how good it felt to let his body sink into the mattress.

"You were amazing today," Blaine said, his hand settling on Kurt's bare chest.

Kurt could feel his heart hammering, every breath making Blaine's hand rise and fall. He smiled at where Blaine was watching him. "You weren't so bad yourself. I couldn't take my eyes off you."

"As if _I _could take my eyes off _you_ either. I'd almost be afraid of Wes and David but I know they were just as bad," Blaine mused, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a grin. "But I didn't just mean performing. I know you're afraid of my parents and Jase but you handled them well too."

Kurt's smile weakened with the guilt and sadness that crashed over him. "I'm sorry I-"

"Shh…" Blaine pressed a finger to Kurt's lips and he fell silent. "You were amazing and I'm proud of you. You don't need to apologise for that, okay?"

Kurt met Blaine's steady gaze and nodded.

"Love you," Blaine whispered, shifting until his hand cupped Kurt's jaw.

"Love you too," he breathed, fingers tangling into Blaine's loose curls and meeting Blaine's lips.

It was slow for a while; lazy kisses which made Kurt forget to breathe in oxygen and soft touches which sent shivers down his spine. Blaine eased him out of the Dalton slacks and Kurt tugged Blaine's clothes off until they were bare-skinned and tangled together. It was the closest Kurt could think equated to 'making love' with the tender caresses and complete lack of haste. He had no idea what the time was. It could have been an hour or six but there was more comfort and contentment than the desperate neediness which coloured previous encounters.

"You are so…beautiful…" Blaine murmured, kissing down Kurt's neck and breaking the spell of his thoughts. "I'm so glad you're mine… My mate, mine forever…"

Kurt hummed in agreement, stretching out beneath Blaine as warmth pooled in his stomach at the way Blaine was sucking marks down his chest. He could see patches of curly black hair on Blaine's back and felt the tickle of Blaine's tail against the inside of his calf and shivered.

"And I want…" Blaine paused at the head of Kurt's cock where it rested against his stomach. "I want you to know I'll always love you, okay?"

With Blaine's warm breath against him, he honestly didn't care if he was always loved or not. He arched his hips with a whine and Blaine rolled his eyes, sliding his mouth down to encase Kurt in heat. He groaned, scrunching his eyes shut and grasping at Blaine's dishevelled hair. It was still slow, still familiar but more intimate somehow. He was about to grow frustrated when he felt soft fingers brushing at his entrance and raised his hips to seek out more. He could feel Blaine stretching him but kept getting distracted by Blaine's mouth.

"M-More," he gritted out, unable to stand the slow tease Blaine was inflicting on him.

Blaine pulled back from his cock with a final lick around the head and his body shook with the desire for more, always more.

"Please…" Apparently he could be reduced to begging if he was desperate enough. Delightful.

Blaine smiled and crawled back up his body, shoving off his boxer-briefs and letting his cock slide against Kurt's, so slow that Kurt wanted to cry. It was too much and not enough all at once.

"B-Blaine… _Please_…"

"Shh, I've got you," Blaine whispered, grabbing at a pillow to slip beneath Kurt's back and raise his hips. Just when Kurt thought Blaine was going to drag it out even longer, he felt the pressure of Blaine entering him and groaned, hands tight on Blaine's hips as he let out a hiss.

Blaine's pace was slow, rocking his hips in a rhythm that kept Kurt hard and panting, but never enough to come. He felt the tingle of all the marks Blaine had left and he kept adding more, decorating his neck in so many hickeys that he was glad the weather was turning and he could get away with more scarves.

"Do you trust me?" Blaine said against his throat, so soft Kurt nearly missed it between his own ragged breaths.

"Of course." He trusted Blaine more than anyone else in his life, including his father. He always would.

He had no idea what Blaine was planning on doing until it started happening and he realised. The mark behind his ear burned white hot with pleasure and every nerve in his body was suddenly on the edge of coming, even though Blaine's rhythm never changed or faltered. His body was coiled so tight he thought it could snap in half but Blaine somehow held him there, on the verge until a tear leaked free of the corner of his eyes. It was so, so good. The best kind of pleasure-pain but also the worst.

And then it was like invisible hands pushed him off and he got the final surge over the line, his muscles convulsing violently as he came against his stomach. He may have given some sort of throaty gurgle but there was a ringing in his ears so he couldn't be quite sure if there had been any noise.

Blaine was smiling down at him when he started to get his senses back, his lips moving in words Kurt couldn't hear. It scared him briefly but he had to remember he trusted Blaine and he was too spent to even think about moving. Occasionally a finger twitched or his leg shuddered with what felt like electricity.

He could still feel Blaine moving in gentle waves and sound started to come back to him and he breathed out a shaky breath. Somehow he wasn't cringing with oversensitivity and wondered how Blaine had magicked him into orgasming.

"Wow…"

Blaine laughed and kissed him softly. "You look incredible."

If he could have flushed any darker, he probably would have. "I feel incredible."

Blaine laughed again and the shaking movement travelled all the way to where they were connected until the laugh was cut off by a groan. "Okay, no more slow," Blaine muttered and Kurt could feel butterflies in his stomach at the way Blaine's body changed to be more possessive and dominant, more like how he usually was.

Even though he'd come, he was still hard. Blaine picked up his rhythm until he was slamming into Kurt so hard he was seeing spots from how good it felt. He was loud, too loud, but Blaine made no attempt to cover his mouth as the spring inside him built and tightened. It felt like more this time, so much better, like everything was on fire and he was being ripped apart in the best way imaginable. Every time Blaine pressed forward, he tried to raise himself up and roll his hips, seeking more until Blaine found the spot he'd been touching on for far too long.

It didn't take long after that for Kurt to be choking out a cry as he came. He imagined sending some of that to Blaine and felt Blaine bite down hard on his shoulder. Ordinarily it might have hurt, but right now, it just felt good like everything else. He could feel Blaine spilling inside him and hadn't even realised until then that Blaine hadn't used a condom. It probably didn't matter.

The last things he heard was Blaine's soft, "So beautiful…" before exhaustion swept him away and he was asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Neeeeeeeeeeeearly there...

I know Kurt-meeting-the-Andersons might seem a little disappointing after so long but they'll be in the next chapter too and it won't be quite as awkward. In terms of visuals... Jason looks a little Jensen Ackles-y in my head and Mr Anderson looks a bit like Craig Bierko (I've been re-watching a lot of Boston Legal). I'm honestly not sure who Mrs Anderson looks like, so if you can think of someone who fits the description then tell me in a review. I'm kind of steering away from fanon desires with Lea Salonga and didn't want Blaine's mother to be Filipino because it gets a little repetitive so I left the Anderson's ethnicity vague. I question the genetics of Blaine and Cooper enough so if Jason looks a bit like Jensen Ackles, then a mother from part of South-East Asia seems a bit of a stretch.

Anyway, I can't believe this is so close to being finished. Bless you all for staying around and reading after so many months! As always, I adore you for reading (and I adore you more if you review). See you next chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

**Title:** Marking a Mate  
><strong>Author:<strong> an-alternate-world  
><strong>Rating:<strong> M+  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Kurt/Blaine  
><strong>Word count:<strong> 4,234  
><strong>Summary:<strong>GKM Prompt. In a hybrid animal world, Kurt and Blaine meet on the staircase at Dalton. Overcome by their animalistic instincts, they mate almost immediately and then have to deal with the ramifications of their actions.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I am in no way associated with _Glee, FOX_, Ryan Murphy or anything else related to the _Glee _universe.

* * *

><p>Kurt didn't realise just how much had changed in his life until he was standing on the porch of his house, ringing the doorbell for the third time and waiting to be heard over the obviously loud noises inside.<p>

It blew his mind how much had happened in the few short weeks since Sectionals. About a week after their win, he saw a newspaper announcing that a local boy had been sent to jail for life after breaking Lore. It didn't take much to put two and two together and he'd slipped into a funk that had seen him refuse to go to classes. By the third day, the combined effort of Jeff, Nick and Blaine had him being dumped unceremoniously in the chair of the Dalton counsellor. He wasn't pissed because they'd sent him to a shrink so much as he was still in his ratty pyjamas which he hadn't changed out of for two days. His hair wasn't styled and he probably looked like a dysfunctional rat.

He'd sat in the chair for five hours though, picking apart his feelings and what had happened in the month since he'd met Blaine. It turned out that Marcus had a similar story to Kurt's parents, where his mate had been kept apart from him. She hadn't gone crazy like Kurt's mother but it still caused unnecessary strain in their relationship. Knowing that feeling guilty over Karofsky's incarceration wasn't weird made him feel a lot less awful. Apparently it would take time, patience, love and support, and Marcus highlighted how Kurt had his family, the Warblers and Blaine's family to support him.

Blaine's family was still a minefield in the weeks running up to Christmas. He felt like he was in some sort of couple's therapy when he met with them, gripping Blaine's hand tightly beneath the table. Blaine wanted to see his parents every few days now that they were so close, especially when they could leave the country abruptly and for months on end, so Kurt swallowed a lot of his nerves and forced himself to interact with them. He didn't even notice the changes, but Blaine did. Blaine noticed when Kurt allowed the back of his hand to be patted by his mother, or when Kurt didn't flinch at his father's hand touching Kurt's arm. Little touches his parents did without thinking were okay with Kurt, who wasn't even aware that he was growing more comfortable. The test came when Jason held out his hand for a fist bump. The obvious demand for contact had Blaine thinking Kurt would shy away, but instead he tentatively returned the fist-bump. Blaine almost burst into tears on the spot, which completely confused Kurt and he spent two days asking what he'd done wrong.

His relationships with some of the New Directions were starting to repair as well. He'd had coffee with Tina and gone shopping with Mercedes and Quinn. Santana had messaged him and Brittany was constantly posting new links on his Facebook page to videos of cats. He still rarely heard from Rachel or Finn, but Mike, Puck and Sam had reached out to him so it didn't hurt as much as perhaps it should have.

And the Warblers… Well, any spare time he had – which had been fleeting with the exams before Christmas break – was already being spent on preparing for Regionals. Thad had refused to agree to another three-way duet with the mated pairs so it was shaping up to be Kurt and Blaine singing leads on one song and Nick and Jeff on another. Apparently Thad wanted Wes and David to be more professional and keep the others in line rather than looking like they were about to jump each other on-stage. Still, Kurt now understood the method within the council's very obvious madness because he had felt more rehearsed performing amongst the boys in blazers than he ever had with New Directions and their haphazardly thrown together routines.

The bubble of protection that Dalton offered meant Kurt hadn't fully grasped how much had changed until he was stamping his feet to keep the circulation going. Blaine's arm was looped through his, their breath misting in front of them.

Finally, they heard the locks clicking open and Lorraine pulled the door wide. Her smile was wide and her arms were outstretched as Blaine flung himself into her arms. He was moving on rapidly to hug Jason and Kurt shook his head fondly, brushing the flakes of snow out of his hair and stepping into Lorraine's arms for a hug before he realised what he was doing. Lorraine, to her credit, hugged him just as warmly but Blaine had fallen silent and when Kurt pulled away from the hold, found his mate staring at him with wide eyes. Over Blaine's shoulder, Jason and Burt were looking equally as stunned.

"I- I shouldn't have- That- I-"

"Thank you for trusting me not to hurt you," Lorraine whispered in his ear, slipping past him into the kitchen.

Kurt was feeling a little unsteady as the shock of what he'd done settled on his shoulders.

"Kurt?"

He blinked and met the gaze of his father. Burt still had a forehead wrinkled with confusion as he stepped around Blaine and Jason's frozen embrace and ruffled a hand through Kurt's hair.

"You alright, buddy?"

The familiarity of the phrase and the lack of judgement made Kurt smile. "Yeah… Yeah, I think I am."

"Good. I wouldn't want your appetite spoiled."

Kurt was able to keep his smile up as he nodded until his father huffed and moved into the family room where Kurt could hear Finn and Jonathan talking.

"Can I hug you now?"

Kurt turned his attention to where Jason was excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet and swallowed. "Be…gentle…"

Jason was actually surprisingly good about calmly hugging Kurt even with the attempt at containing his energy. His hugs were similar to Blaine's in a way. Strong and secure and comforting. It would almost be familiar except Jason was taller and Kurt couldn't nuzzle into Jason's shoulder the same way he did with Blaine. Instead he stood slightly awkwardly until Jason let him go.

"Been waiting to do that since Bee called," Jason said with a grin. "Best Christmas present ever!"

Kurt snorted and Blaine stifled a laugh as Jason followed after Burt and loudly interrupted whatever conversation was going on.

"You're incredible," Blaine whispered, moving back to embrace Kurt and pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. Kurt released a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. This hug, these arms, the shoulder at the right height was what had been missing from Jason's. "Seriously incredible."

"I'm not…" Kurt mumbled, feeling his face heat under the praise.

Blaine pulled back until his eyes met Kurt's and Kurt felt his stomach do a little flip like it always did when Blaine looked at him with a mixture of pride and love. "You can believe the wrong thing or the right thing, but I'm going to keep telling you that you're incredible until there is no longer a disagreeing voice which sounds suspiciously like yours."

Kurt swatted Blaine on the arm. "Why did I mate with you again?"

Blaine pouted but couldn't hold the expression before laughing. "I'm hoping for my irresistible good looks and charm but I can't be sure."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little pretentious?"

"I spent most of my adolescence telling him that!" Jason called from the living room.

"Stop having freakishly good hearing!" Blaine called back.

"I can't help-"

"Stop yelling!" Jonathan interrupted.

Kurt raised an eyebrow as Blaine rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. "It's his hybrid. He's some sort of owl and can basically hear everything."

"I heard-"

"Jason."

Kurt tangled his fingers with Blaine's and they moved down the corridor to the door leading down to Kurt's bedroom. Carole called after them that they had half an hour until the food would be ready.

Kurt busied himself with adjusting things in his room: changing the sheets, re-organising his wardrobe, setting out Blaine's thing neatly. It took him five minutes.

"Why are you fussing?"

"Because I-"

"Kurt, sit."

He sat on his desk chair and made a mental note to do some dusting, knotting his hands in his lap and gnawing his lip.

"Kurt?"

"I just… I _hugged_ your mother and brother. I let them _touch _me and…and I didn't have a panic attack and I think I'm just in shock and I need to _do_ something so that I don't freak out and-"

"You already are freaking out," Blaine interrupted. He moved to kneel in front of Kurt, resting his hands on Kurt's thighs. "You're incredible. You're the most amazing and beautiful person I've ever met and you have more hope and courage than anyone I think I ever _will_ meet."

Kurt rapidly swallowed down the urge to cry at how honest Blaine's face was. It simply wasn't fair to have a mate as perfect as Blaine could be in saying the right words.

"I love you and I'm in awe of you. You give people so many chances and I wish I could be even half as compassionate as you," Blaine murmured, cupping Kurt's cheek and wiping away the tears that slipped free with the pad of his thumb.

Kurt sniffed, trying to reel in his emotions. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly speechless and could do little else but feel all over again how far he had come in under two months with Blaine's love. It was like his mother's favourite song. Blaine had taken the broken shell of a boy that McKinley had beaten him into becoming, given him wings, and now he could fly.

"I love you."

"I love-"

"Hate to break you two dorks up but dinner's ready," Jason called from the top of the stairs.

Blaine toppled over even though he hadn't been anywhere near touching Kurt inappropriately and Kurt couldn't help the laughter at the horrified look on Blaine's face when he thought he'd been sprung.

"Dorks?" Blaine squeaked when he got his bearings back. "_Dorks_?"

"Jason was-"

"I'm still standing here, y'know."

"I'm going to kill you one of these days," Blaine muttered. With Kurt's assistance, he clambered to his feet and Kurt followed him up the stairs where Jason was smiling brightly.

"I heard that too. You wouldn't really kill me, would you?" Jason said, his attempt at larger puppy-dog eyes at odds with the bright smile.

"You'd be surprised," Blaine whispered, tugging Kurt towards the dining room.

"Why is no one here yet?" Kurt frowned, gazing at the empty, half-set table.

"Dinner isn't really ready. I just wanted to break up the dorky mushy moment I couldn't help overhearing," Jason called.

Kurt had to kiss Blaine to distract him from picking up a fork and going after his brother. If the fork clattering to the carpeted ground was anything to go by, the kiss was a very good distraction technique.

* * *

><p>"I'm so full that I'm redefining what full means," Jason complained, clutching his stomach as he leaned back in his chair.<p>

Kurt silently agreed and couldn't believe the amount of food consumed. When he'd first started helping Carole and Lorraine bringing it out, he'd thought there was far too much. Seeing the amount of empty dishes on the table, he was glad for the over-catering.

"So is there dessert?"

Jason groaned and threw a pea at Finn's face. "You need to be quiet, man. At least wait until it settles."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand under the table and he bit his lip not to smile and squeezed back.

* * *

><p>It felt like the first Christmas Kurt had ever had which actually matched his dreams of Christmas. He had seen so many shows and movies and heard all the Christmas songs, but he'd never experienced a warm family Christmas in his memory. This year, with Carole, Finn, Blaine and the Andersons, it felt like the images he'd always had in his mind of what Christmas was meant to be.<p>

Both he and Blaine had been struck dumb by the combined present from Burt and Blaine's parents. He couldn't stop rubbing his thumb against the thin silver band on Blaine's left middle finger. Somehow having mating rings signified a whole other level of commitment. Blaine explained quietly that Wes and David wore theirs on chains and Nick had wanted to wait until he and Jeff could buy theirs themselves since Nick didn't have his parents' support.

Jason had given them open tickets to visit him in Vermont sometime during summer break and Finn had given Kurt a shopping voucher and Blaine a book voucher. Kurt had been grateful to even receive anything from Finn after the cold shoulder he'd had since the confrontation at Sectionals. But nothing mattered as much as the silver rings. He struggled to tear his eyes away from the light catching Blaine's and apparently Blaine was just as distracted because he kept reaching for Kurt's left hand and holding on to it.

It was a welcome relief when the Andersons left though. Jason's super hearing was starting to drive Kurt crazy because he couldn't say the quietest thing without Jason smirking at him. He ended up taking to texting Blaine with what he wanted to say if he thought Jason would react to it being spoken aloud. Of course, that left Jason scowling with disappointment but at least Kurt felt like his private conversations weren't being intercepted.

Kurt led Blaine downstairs to his room, switching the light on and pulling out pyjamas as Blaine wriggled out of his sweater and started on the buttons to his shirt.

Moving to sit on the bed, Kurt's hands slid over Blaine's hips and tugged him closer, admiring the silver ring on his finger against Blaine's olive skin.

"They're pretty, huh?" Blaine murmured, fingers tickling over Kurt's cheek.

"They're amazing," Kurt agreed.

Blaine drifted his fingers through Kurt's hair and Kurt leaned forward to press a kiss to Blaine's chest, directly over his heart. Blaine tugged at Kurt's hair, tilting his head up until Blaine's lips met his. It still felt new and exciting but also familiar, the tingling warmth that travelled along his skin and demanding more.

"I want you so bad," Blaine whispered against his lips and Kurt nodded rapidly, scooting up the bed until he could stretch out and Blaine could crawl on top of him.

There was a part of Kurt that wanted neither of them to ever wear clothes because it took too long fumbling with zips and clasps and buttons. Especially when the mood was more frantic and he just wanted to look and feel.

But finally, _finally_, they were both gloriously naked and Kurt could rest his hands on Blaine's hips and admire his small waist and the curve of his ass.

"Kurt... I want _you_…" Blaine mumbled between kisses, rocking against Kurt's thigh and whining low in his throat.

Kurt stilled, one of his hands reaching up to cup Blaine's cheek. "Are you sure?"

"So, _so_ sure."

It was something Marcus had suggested a couple of weeks ago which Kurt had passed on but not been entirely comfortable considering. Marcus thought that since so much power and control had been stripped from him with Karofsky's attack, Kurt needed to be more assertive and not let Blaine top as much as he had been. Kurt wasn't entirely convinced so they had found a compromise where Kurt would be on top and ride Blaine more. It had certainly had some pleasurable advantages.

"O-Okay…" He'd only done this once before and was terrified all over again at possibly hurting Blaine.

"I'm pretty tough. You won't break me," Blaine assured, reading his feelings too accurately as he leaned down to kiss Kurt.

It worked to distract him from his anxiety which he mildly resented but he shifted with Blaine until he was on top and Blaine was beneath him, eyes bright and sparkling. It was a position he had grown familiar with and it would be so easy to just wriggle himself onto Blaine but he could see the look in Blaine's eyes and felt a flutter of desire.

He grabbed at the lube bottle from the drawer of his bedside table and encouraged Blaine's legs to bend to his chest. He hadn't meant to whimper when Blaine basically presented himself but fuck if it wasn't hot.

"I love you," he said distractedly, squeezing the slippery gel onto his fingers and moving to stroke them against Blaine's entrance.

"I-" Blaine tilted his head back into the pillow and gasped. Kurt almost felt guilty that Blaine was so inexperienced with this and thought maybe he should take Marcus' suggestion, not for control but simply to delight in the look on Blaine's face.

Blaine breathed that he loved Kurt throughout Kurt stretching him, along with little groans and pleading whines.

"Kurt, _please_," Blaine said for at least the thirtieth time in as many minutes.

Kurt grinned, withdrawing his fingers and moving to hover over Blaine. "Shhh, I've got you," he mocked and Blaine growled, reaching up to twist his fingers into Kurt's hair and kiss him, so hot and filthy that Kurt probably could have come from that if Blaine had kept going.

He took a small amount of pity on Blaine, rolling his hips forward until he could slip between the cheeks of Blaine's ass, gliding against Blaine's entrance. Blaine started writhing as Kurt held himself carefully in position and pushed forward. Blaine grunted and Kurt shifted Blaine's legs to grip his waist, wrapping a hand around Blaine's cock and stroking him back to full hardness as a distraction from the pain of Kurt inching into him.

He could definitely see the benefits of more control. The way the veins in Blaine's neck stood out, the way his hands gripped Kurt's hips so tightly he'd probably have discoloured spots in the morning, the way he was surrounded by hot, squeezing heat, was something he could definitely enjoy more of. When he felt the flesh of Blaine's ass against his hip bones, he stilled and let Blaine breathe through it, his shoulders trembling trying to hold him in position for as long as Blaine needed to adjust.

Eventually Blaine gave a jerky little nod and a grunted "Please" and Kurt took that as his cue, shifting his hips slowly and gingerly, letting Blaine get used to the drag and pressure. He could tell when Blaine started to relax more because the tension around his collarbone eased and the hold of Blaine's hands lessened to be more guiding than anchoring.

He set a steady rhythm, not too fast but not achingly slow, wanting to draw it out and enjoy it but also still really fucking horny. Blaine was incoherent beneath him and he smiled, stroking fingers over Blaine's cheek softly. The mating ring on his finger caught his attention and he felt a rush of love.

"Need- _Ah_- I need-" The bulge of Blaine's throat bobbed as he swallowed and he squeezed Kurt's hips in warning.

Kurt stilled and brushed a few sweaty curls from Blaine's forehead. "What do you need?"

"I wanna… Take it out… Please…"

Kurt was confused and maybe a little hurt as he pulled back, wondering what he'd done wrong. Blaine shook his head, sitting up to kiss Kurt with another of those brain-melting kisses.

"Stop worrying," he murmured, kissing Kurt again and again until Kurt started to feel a little better. "Good. I love you."

Kurt smiled, nuzzling into Blaine's jaw and kissing over the mark behind his ear. "I love you too."

Blaine smiled and kissed his cheek before shifting in a tangle of limbs until he was on his front. His arms were crossed by his head and his knees were curled under him and his hips were raised and oh. _Oh_. Blaine was basically presenting himself and Kurt could see the shiny reddened hole and groaned, raising himself up to slip easily back inside Blaine.

It was easier to slam into Blaine this way and apparently that was what Blaine enjoyed most if his increasingly loud moans were anything to go by. Blaine wriggled his hips when Kurt tried to catch his breath and the rhythm got more and more disjointed as he thrust into Blaine and Blaine pushed back to meet him. He couldn't even consider trying to speak as the familiar heat started sparking through him and he manoeuvred Blaine until he could slide a hand under Blaine's body to tug at his cock, increasing his speed as much as he could and jerking his hand.

Blaine came with a sharp cry of Kurt's name, spilling onto the sheets below him as his body tightened and shook uncontrollably. A couple more surges forward and the coil in Kurt's abdomen snapped and he came without a sound. He could feel the increased slide around him now after coming inside Blaine and couldn't help the slight movement of his hips even as Blaine whined beneath him.

"Shh," he soothed, rubbing a hand down Blaine's spine. Blaine quietened although he still twitched and trembled occasionally with aftershocks. Kurt could feel the arousal building again and knew he was getting more and more distracted as he slowly got hard.

"Kurt-"

"I know you can come again," he interrupted, his voice lower and huskier than normal. "I know you want more. You do this to me often enough that it's time I exact a little revenge."

Blaine moaned against his forearm but didn't disagree. When Kurt slipped a hand to Blaine's stomach, he could feel the heavy weight of Blaine's cock and smiled to himself when Blaine rocked into the loose fist he made.

He took it slow until the oversensitivity wore off and everything started feeling ten times more pleasurable than it had before. He took it slow until Blaine's whimpers changed into needy groans and he was pushing back when Kurt dragged himself almost all the way out. It was messy and filthy and Kurt was thriving at the power he had to make Blaine fall apart under him for the second time.

When he couldn't keep it slow and gentle anymore, Blaine seemed perfectly okay with being fucked into hard and the orgasm built inside him faster this time although it took longer to get over the edge. He could feel the tingling everywhere and wasn't even aware of how he was whining until Blaine shoved back brutally at the same time as a bolt of pleasure flared under his skin from the mark and he was gone, jerking into Blaine as he worked through his release until Blaine's whines were cut off with a deep moan and he thrust into Kurt's fist faster and came with a cry.

It was disgusting to lie on the stained sheets but both Kurt and Blaine were way too spent to consider moving. Kurt fell onto one side of the bed and Blaine rolled over until he could cuddle into Kurt's side, sticky and gross but obviously flushed and blissed out.

"Fucking love you," Blaine whispered, his breathing harsh against Kurt's sweaty skin as they came down.

Love you too," Kurt replied, tilting his head with some degree of effort and kissing Blaine on the top of his.

They laid there for a while, basking in the afterglow and content. They didn't need words and Kurt wasn't sure he had complete access to the ability to speak in sentences anyway.

"It was like…I'd been looking for you forever," Blaine broke in and Kurt wondered where that thought had come from. "And then you were there and it felt like my entire world just…changed. Everything made sense. I briefly understood Calculus!"

Kurt snorted and scratched his fingers against Blaine's back.

"I can't imagine living life without you now so…" Blaine shrugged and turned his head to kiss Kurt's shoulder. "I don't know where I'm going with this. Just… Thank you, I guess. Thank you for coming to Dalton and stopping me on that staircase."

Kurt smiled and rolled onto his side, wriggling down a little until he could meet Blaine's eyes. "Thank you for stopping."

Blaine kissed him chastely and rubbed his nose against Kurt's, his eyes obviously drooping in an effort to stay awake. "Happy Christmas, Kurt."

Kurt cuddled closer and decided that the mess and their nudity and even the fact the light was still on could all wait until the morning. Watching Blaine struggle not to fall asleep needed way too much effort on his part not to join him.

"Happy Christmas, Blaine," he whispered back.

His answer was Blaine's snuffling snore. Giggling quietly, he pressed a kiss to Blaine's nose and let his own body sink completely into the support of the mattress.

He didn't realise how much had changed in his life in less than two months but as he drifted to sleep with a smile on his face and in the arms of his mate, he knew he would never want to undo any of the changes that had happened. He was safe, content, cared for and loved. Most of all, best of all, he had found his mate. He was complete.

* * *

><p><strong>FIN<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yes. The End. Truly. I'm done. I can't believe it. (I may or may not have cried when I typed the last words.)

_**BUT BUT**_ **_BUT_**I may be done with this story but I'm not done with the universe. As I've hinted, I have a sequel of sorts which is basically a series of one-shots which will fill in various characters or scenarios. That's where I throw it open to you guys. **What would you like to see in the sequel?** It won't be a coherent story and it can look at anyone and everyone in this universe that you might desire. I'm not sure when it will start going up, but writing what you guys want is my way of saying thank you for being such amazing readers, reviewers, followers, favouriters, and just all-around incredible people.

Let me know here or privately or on my Tumblr as anonymous, but please do let me know. I can't promise to write everything but I definitely want to keep writing in this universe and I'm a little short on ideas. If you head over to my Tumblr, there's a page with everyone's hybrid animals as well as various fanart and little details and things which you might find interesting and help you in thinking of ideas to suggest.

Another important note is how many people picked up on the possibility for mpreg in the last chapter. I didn't have Blaine leave off a condom for that reason, but so many of you were asking about it! So I've set up a poll on my profile page here about whether or not you would like to see mpreg in the sequel. Your answers can't be traced but they would be super important to me!

And so I guess this is the part where I bow and curtsy and dab my eyes with a hanky and bid adieu from this story. Thank you to everyone who gave this story the astounding feedback. I remember when I first read the GKM prompt and fell in love but didn't plan for more than a chapter. I wrote it while on holidays and my best friend at the time wanted to read it and thought it was the strangest fucking thing she'd ever read and warned me that it mightn't be very successful! I proved her wrong so many times over and I have every single one of you readers to thank. So thank you, truly. I am so very, very blessed xxx

- Kami


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